Sen. John Hoffman and his wife say they are 'incredibly lucky to be alive'

Tim Harlow and Paul Walsh, Star Tribune on Jun 15, 2025

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State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, continued to recover Sunday evening after each being shot multiple times in their Champlin home a day earlier, according to a statement the family shared with Sen. Amy Klobuchar who posted on Instragram.

“John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods,” the statement read. “We are incredibly lucky to be alive.”

John Hoffman was hit by nine bullets and Yvette by eight when a gunman burst into their Champlin home in the early hours of Saturday morning and opened fire.

The gunfire that hit John Hoffman “barely missed his heart,” Hoffman’s nephew Mat Ollig said in a Sunday morning interview. The couple continues to recover but “it’s going to be a long process.”

Authorities have identified the suspect as Vance Boelter, and the search for him continues.

The Hoffman family is grateful for the love and outpouring from well wishers, but “are gutted and devastated by the loss of Mark and Melissa,” the statement said.

Klobuchar shared a message from Yvette Hoffman that disclosed that John Hoffman “took 9 bullet hits. I took 8. ... There is never a place for this kind of political hate. Thank you for your friendship always. Minnesotans are at their very best when we stand together.”

The Hoffmans were attacked early Saturday by the gunman posing as a police officer who later assassinated state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark in their Brooklyn Park home.

Hoffman, 60, and his wife are expected to make a full recovery, said Ollig.

Hoffman’s wife shielded their daughter, Hope, as the shots rang out, Ollig said.

The Parent Teacher Organization for Fernbrook Elementary School in Maple Grove, where Yvette Hoffman works, is stepping up to support her and her husband as they recover.

“Our hearts are heavy as we share devastating news regarding a cherished member of our Flyer family, Yvette Hoffman and her husband, Senator John Hoffman,” reads Principal Jeff Zastrow’s posting on an online fundraising campaign begun to help with medical and other expenses.

“Mrs. Hoffman is an invaluable part of our Fernbrook community, tirelessly dedicating her time and energy as a support professional,” Zastrow continued. “She brings joy, compassion, and unwavering support to our students, staff, and families every single day.”

John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, entered state politics after he struggled to obtain insurance for his daughter, who has spina bifida. He figured others were having the same difficulty.

Throughout his career in the Minnesota Senate, Hoffman worked across the aisle, Ollig and legislative colleagues said.

A former marketing and public relations director, Hoffman was elected to the Anoka-Hennepin school board in 2005 and served as vice chair before running for the Minnesota Senate. He beat incumbent Benjamin Kruse in 2012 and has represented Districts 34 and 36 covering parts of Anoka and Hennepin counties ever since.

He served as the minority whip from 2017 to 2020, and as a chair of the Human Services Committee during the last half of the 2025 session. He also was a member of committees in the Senate overseeing energy, utilities, the environment and climate.

During his 12-year tenure, Hoffman also spent time on committees crafting policy on education, family care and aging, and energy and agriculture, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.

Hoffman is co-chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, a regional task force dedicated to conservation and water quality in the entire river basin.

In the statement, the family said there is never a place for this kind of political hate, and thanked Minnesotans for their friendship.

“Grateful for their progress and will continue to keep them in our prayers,” Klobuchar said in the posting.

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