NPR Adds Context on Minnesota Lawmaker's Survival and Reactions to Attack

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+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and husband honored 1 year after their murders It's been a year since a gunman murdered Minnesota state Sen.

+ National Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and husband honored 1 year after their murders June 20, 20267:40 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday By Dana Ferguson Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and husband honored 1 year after their murders Listen &middot; 3:47 3:47 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5859410/nx-s1-9818202" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript It's been a year since a gunman murdered Minnesota state Sen. Melissa Hortman, which is reflected on by another state senator who was also targeted. Sponsor Message SCOTT SIMON, HOST: It's been about a year since the Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed in their home. The same attacker shot state Senator John Hoffman and his wife. The Hoffmans have recovered physically, but they had a decision to make - whether to stay in politics or retreat from public life. Minnesota Public Radio's Dana Ferguson has the story.

+ DANA FERGUSON, BYLINE: Last month, state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, walked into a building on the state Capitol complex. He was filing to run for reelection. They were quickly gathered up in a hug by a female security officer. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: I'm so thankful that you are doing well, able to speak. JOHN HOFFMAN: Well, it's one day at a time. I mean we just - you know... YVETTE HOFFMAN: It's been a year. It has been a year. J HOFFMAN: There were moments - I mean, not a day has gone by that I said, you know - we just minded our own business at home. FERGUSON: They had June 14, 2025, on their minds. That night, a gunman disguised as a police officer came to their door. When they cracked it open, the shooter fired inside. Bullets poured in. Nine shots hit John, and eight hit Yvette. In her Pooh Bear PJs, Yvette forced the door shut, and their daughter, Hope, called 911. John Hoffman says he's determined to keep going. J HOFFMAN: People would understand if we would have just said, you know, time to find something else - right? - public-service-wise. But then the it would win. Evil would win. FERGUSON: The shooting shocked the state and the country. The gunman pleaded guilty to federal charges for the attack on the Hoffmans and for murdering former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home that same night. Minnesota lawmakers took steps to boost security at the Capitol - more weapons screening and officers keeping guard. Money was also added to bring on a new unit to assess threats to elected officials. State Representative Zack Stephenson assumed the role of House Democratic Caucus leader after Hortman was killed. ZACK STEPHENSON: Now we'll have a statewide response that ensures that lawmakers all over the state are safe when their lives are threatened. FERGUSON: Lawmakers' addresses have been pulled from websites. Campaign money can be used for hiring security staff, and some public money can be used for security systems at home. A few other state legislatures adopted similar measures. LISA DEMUTH: It's going to give a sense of security. I think that was shattered for the entire state on June 14. FERGUSON: That's Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. DEMUTH: I think it also sends a message to the public that things are no longer the same and what you maybe used to do with calling and being angry and whatever that is - you can express yourself. You have a First Amendment right to do that. You cannot be violent, and you cannot make threats of violence. FERGUSON: As he filed paperwork for reelection, John and Yvette Hoffman said being able to make change in the legislature is worth putting themselves out there. Y HOFFMAN: This is important. So I'll just get another pair of Winnie the Pooh pajamas and have heavy-duty locks on our doors and all kinds of gadgets and gizmos, and we'll do it again. FERGUSON: The Hoffmans say they hope their story is a reminder that people should respect each other more, and that includes their lawmakers. Y HOFFMAN: I guess until you're shot eight times - because I was - maybe you just need to have some empathy. That's it. We've lost that, so let's get back to it. FERGUSON: For NPR News, I'm Dana Ferguson in St. Paul. (SOUNDBITE OF HERMANOS GUTIERREZ'S "SUELTALO") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{309:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(81)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(770),o(154),o(175),o(93),o(448),o(253),o(128),o(130),o(755),o(174),o(756),o(254),o(77),o(774)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},783:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(309)}},[[783,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();