Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and family sue Vance Boelter over shooting
Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman and his family are suing Vance Boelter, the man accused of shooting him and his wife at their Champlin home last June, before killing former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
The lawsuit accuses Boelter of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and negligence per se, according to the civil complaint filed in Minnesota District Court on Thursday.
On the morning of June 14, 2025, authorities say Boelter had been impersonating a police officer when he shot John Hoffman nine times and Yvette Hoffman eight times. Their daughter, Hope Hoffman, witnessed the attack and "narrowly avoided being struck by bullets," the lawsuit says. Because of the emotional trauma she suffered and to help repair her family home, Hope Hoffman suspended her education.
John and Yvette remained hospitalized in the intensive care unit for approximately six weeks while they recovered from their multiple gunshot wounds. Both sustained permanent injuries from the attack; John Hoffman suffered permanent damage to his digestive and urinary systems and Yvette Hoffman has "longstanding physical weakness that prevents her from performing the physical functions of her previous employment," according to the civil suit. She had been an educator with the Osseo Area School District.
The lawsuit also says Boelter followed Yvette Hoffman as she drove to work on at least one occasion, and that he stalked Hope Hoffman with the anticipation that she would be at the Hoffman home on the night of the attack.
After the attack at the Hoffmans' home, Boelter allegedly visited two other state Democratic lawmakers' homes, but he encountered police at one, and the other was not at home. He then went to Brooklyn Park, where authorities say he shot and killed Melissa and Mark Hortman and their dog, Gilbert.
What followed was a roughly 40-hour search that authorities called the largest manhunt in state history. He was taken into custody near his Green Isle home.
Boelter faces six federal charges, including murder, stalking and firearms violations, for the politically motivated attacks. He pleaded not guilty. If he is convicted of the murder charges, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.