On Saturday, two state lawmakers from Minnesota were gunned down in their homes in what Governor Tim Walz called a "politically motivated assassination" attempt. The attacks left one politician dead and the other seriously injured.
The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, has been taken into custody after he was found in rural woodland during a huge manhunt. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
State representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home, the governor said.
She had served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 20 years, and was speaker of the chamber from 2019 to 2025.
Under her tenure, Minnesota Democrats passed a variety of liberal legislation that included the expansion of abortion rights and legalisation of recreational marijuana.
