Fact Check: "Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park on October 7, 2023."
What We Know
The claim that Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed at their home on October 7, 2023, is false. Melissa Hortman, a prominent Minnesota politician, was indeed involved in a shooting incident, but the details surrounding it are misrepresented. Reports indicate that on June 14, 2025, both she and her husband were shot in a targeted attack at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, along with another lawmaker, John Hoffman, and his spouse (source-1, source-2). The incident was part of a broader pattern of violence against lawmakers, where the shooter impersonated a police officer (source-3, source-5).
Analysis
The claim is based on a misunderstanding of the timeline and details of the tragic events involving Melissa Hortman. As of October 7, 2023, there are no credible reports confirming that she was killed. The actual shooting incident occurred in June 2025, which is well beyond the date mentioned in the claim.
The sources reporting on the incident, including reputable news outlets like Fox 9 and Minnesota Public Radio, provide a clear account of the events that transpired, indicating that Hortman and her husband were shot but did not die at that time. Furthermore, the Wikipedia entry on Melissa Hortman confirms her continued involvement in politics up to June 2025, when the shooting occurred (source-1).
The reliability of the sources used to debunk this claim is high, as they include established news organizations and official legislative records. There is no evidence from credible sources to support the claim that Hortman was killed in October 2023.
Conclusion
The claim that Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed at their home on October 7, 2023, is false. The actual shooting incident involving them occurred on June 14, 2025, and they were not killed at that time. This misrepresentation of the timeline and facts leads to the conclusion that the claim is inaccurate.
