‘Zero tolerance for targeting lawmakers’: Netizens react to killing of Democrat leader Melissa Hortman and husband

Rep. Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman, who are renowned Minnesota lawmakers, have been shot early Saturday morning in Champlin and Brooklyn Park. Hortman and Hoffman were present in the area along with their spouses, who were also shot by a person impersonating a police officer. 

Hortman and her husband were killed in this incident, while Hoffman and his spouse were each shot five or six times, according to reports. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has confirmed the death of Rep. Hortman and her husband, while also stating that John Hoffman and his wife are both out of surgery and doctors remain optimistically hopeful for their recovery. 

Netizens criticize death of Democrat leader

Social media is flooded with reactions to the death of one Democrat leader in this shooting incident. An X user said, “This is sad! I hope the killer is brought to justice and faces the death penalty. Despite Rep. Hortman being on the other side of the political spectrum, every Republican must denounce this. Zero tolerance for targeting lawmakers! Because this happened AFTER the session, I suspect we are going to learn the shooter was far-left and trying to make it look like a MAGA person executed her to fan the flames.”

An X user reponded to this, saying, “This is exactly what I think happened. No conservative would have any reason to harm any of these people. And to shoot the innocent spouses of the lawmakers, leaving two children orphaned, is even more insane, making it more likely that the assassin is a liberal.”

Congresswoman for Texas’s 32nd District Julie Johnson reacted to the incident saying, “Political violence is never the answer. I’m disgusted by the tragedy that has occurred in Minnesota and keeping the families of State Rep. Hortman and State Senator Hoffman in my thoughts. We all must come together from across the political spectrum to condemn these acts.”