‘No Kings’ flyers found in Minnesota shooting suspect's car; Tim Walz urges against attending protests
Tim Walz urged avoiding ‘No Kings’ protests after flyers were found in the suspect’s car. Rallies in Anoka and NE Minneapolis were canceled.
Flyers reading “No Kings” were found inside the car of the suspect accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers ahead of planned protests across the state on Saturday.
The suspect is accused of fatally shooting State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in Brooklyn Park.
In a separate attack, the same suspect allegedly shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their Champlin residence. Both are currently hospitalized.
In response to the discovery of the flyers and ongoing manhunt for the suspect, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz urged the public to avoid political gatherings.
“Out of an abundance of caution my Department of Public Safety is recommending that people do not attend any political rallies today in Minnesota until the suspect is apprehended,” he wrote on X.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety added: “Given the targeted shootings of state lawmakers overnight, we are asking the public to not attend today’s planned demonstrations across Minnesota out of an abundance of caution.”
Several rallies, including events in Anoka and northeast Minneapolis, have already been canceled in response to the threat.
Manifesto found
Apart from the flyers, authorities also found a manifesto containing a list of names, including Democratic politicians in Minnesota at the federal and state levels, inside the suspect's car.
“When we did a search of the vehicle, we did find a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials. We immediately made alerts to the state to provide security wherever necessary,” Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley said in a press conference.
Brooklyn Park Police described the suspect as “a white male, brown hair, wearing black body armor over blue shirt and blue pants.”
“Do not approach and do not answer door unless two officers approach together. Call 911 to verify officer identity first,” police said in an alert.
