The Fairfax County Police Department is boosting patrols near the homes of legislators in the wake of the fatal shooting of a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota.
From the FCPD:
The FCPD senior leadership team convened this morning to review the known circumstances of the targeted attacks on elected officials in Minnesota by a gunman impersonating a police officer. Our patrol officers and other assets are preparing to enhance our presence around homes and neighborhoods of legislators and other elected officials.” Any direct personal contact with elected officials at their homes by FCPD will include two uniformed police officers. There is no intelligence linking these attacks to Fairfax County.
According to media reports, State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot by a man allegedly impersonating a police officer at their home near Minneapolis early this morning (Saturday).
Hortman was the top Democrat in Minnesota and served as speaker of the state house from 2019 until Jan. 14, 2025.
Police believe the same man also shot Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, about an hour earlier. The couple were taken to a hospital for treatment, the Washington Post reported.
A search for the suspect is now underway. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz described the attacks as “politically motivated assassinations.”
In addition to local elected officials, Fairfax County is home to a number of prominent state and federal politicians, including Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Amy Coney Barrett.
homes and neighborhoods of legislators and other elected officials. Any direct personal contact with elected officials at their homes by FCPD will include two uniformed police officers. There is no intelligence linking these attacks to Fairfax County. (2/2)
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) June 14, 2025
