Minnesota shooting victims met in Des Moines before moving to Twin Cities
By Beau Bowman
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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Chaos struck Minnesota over the weekend when a targeted shooting spree left two state lawmakers and their spouses dead or injured, and a community reeling in shock.
Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, while State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, survived multiple gunshot wounds in a harrowing attack attributed to 57-year-old suspect Vance Boelter.
Authorities report that Boelter first targeted the Hoffmans’ home, shooting Hoffman nine times and his wife eight times. A police-style SUV was found nearby, and investigators believe the suspect posed as a police officer. Police then proactively went to Hortman’s home, where they exchanged gunfire with Boelter, but he managed to escape. After a two-day manhunt, Boelter was apprehended.
The Hoffmans remain hospitalized with their injuries.
Yvette Hoffman, known to many in Des Moines as her radio persona “Kelly Foxx,” was a beloved radio host at STAR 102.5 in the late 1990s. Her former colleagues and friends remember her as a generous and talented individual.
Kate Garner, now news director at the Des Moines Media Group, reflected on her time working with Hoffman, saying, “She was so over-equipped to work overnights, so when she came back later and did mornings, it was like finally. Finally, somebody saw it.”
Garner described the shock of hearing the news of the attack.
“My initial reaction was … my knees buckled,” Garner said.
Court documents reveal that John Hoffman attempted to push the shooter out of their home before being shot, and Yvette tried to shut the door on the attacker before he fired on her. Their daughter called 911.
Despite the severity of their injuries, both John and Yvette are in recovery.
Garner expressed gratitude for their resilience.
“Finding out how many times ultimately they had each been shot, and John just one shot missed his heart. It’s staggering to imagine surviving that. That speaks to how strong they both are as people,” she said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Hoffman family.
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