In a statement, Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette provided new details of the moments they were shot last weekend by a man charged with attempting to murder them and assassinating state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
The Hoffmans are continuing their recovery in the hospital and noted that John Hoffman is in a critical but stable condition and Yvette Hoffman is in stable condition.
The Hoffmans said they could not release much information until now because they were receiving medical care, but they noted they wanted to offer “more clarity of what happened,” according to the statement obtained by NBC affiliate KARE of Minneapolis.
The couple said that around 2:00 a.m., their family woke up to someone who identified himself as a police officer pounding on the door. Then, when the man pointed a gun at them, John Hoffman lunged at the gunman and was shot nine times. Yvette Hoffman was able to close the door, but she was shot eight times while doing so. Their daughter, Hope, secured the lock and called 911.
“Her brave actions and quick thinking triggered the notice to public safety officials that a politically-motivated act was potentially underway,” the statement said.
The Hoffmans said they were “heartbroken to know that our friends Melissa and Mark Hortman were assassinated,” noting that their daughters went to school together.
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“Choosing to work in the public sector, even in as limited a way as John’s career as a senator, has always meant sacrificing a level of privacy. But now we are grappling with the reality that we live in a world where public service carries such risks as being targeted because someone disagrees with you or doesn’t like what you stand for,” the Hoffmans wrote.
“As a society, as a nation, as a community, we must work together to return to a level of civility that allows us all to live peacefully,” they continued. “The future for our children depends on that. We will be praying for that work and appreciate all those who will join with us.”