US President Donald Trump has stated that he did not intend to reach out to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee for 2024, following a weekend shooting that resulted in the death of one Democratic politician and left another injured.
Mr. Trump, a Republican, released a statement after the shooting on Saturday, condemning such “horrific violence” and asserting that it would not be accepted in the United States.
However, he has chosen not to extend any conciliatory remarks to Mr. Walz as he manages the state’s response to the incident.
Mr. Walz served as vice presidential running mate alongside Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris last year.
“The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So I could be polite and call him, but why waste my time?”
Melissa Hortman, the leading Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, were both shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park home on Saturday.
Another Democratic figure, Senator John Hoffman, was shot and injured along with his wife, Yvette, at their residence in Champlin.
Federal authorities reported yesterday that the suspect targeted at least four state politicians in a premeditated killing spree.
Vance Boelter, 57, faces both state and federal murder charges after being apprehended on Sunday night, following an extensive two-day manhunt that marked the largest in the state’s history.
The Minnesota attacks commenced around 2am local time on Saturday, when a gunman clad in a police-style tactical vest and a “hyper-realistic silicone mask” knocked on the Hoffmans’ door in Champlin, identified himself as a police officer, and subsequently shot the couple multiple times, according to prosecutors.
He then proceeded to another state politician’s home in Maple Grove, ringing the doorbell at 2:24am. The individual, whose identity has not been disclosed by prosecutors, was not at home.
Mr. Boelter also visited the residence of a state senator in New Hope, according to prosecutors. A police officer dispatched to the site for a wellness check after learning of the Hoffman shooting mistakenly believed Mr. Boelter, who was parked outside, was another officer and approached him.
The responding officer went to the door, awaiting additional personnel, and Mr. Boelter had left by the time they arrived, prosecutors stated.
Shortly thereafter, police responded to the Hortmans’ home in Brooklyn Park as a precaution. The arriving officers witnessed the suspect shoot Mark Hortman through an open door around 3:35am and exchanged gunfire with him before he fled out the back door, as per prosecutors.
Melissa Hortman was already deceased inside the residence.
