Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Shelter-in-Place Order Issued in Minnesota after Gunman Shoots Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and Their Spouses. State Representative Melissa Hortman and Spouse Killed in Shooting While State Senator John Hoffman and Spouse Hospitalized with Injuries; Parade Celebrating 250th Anniversary of Founding of U.S. Army to Take Place in Washington D.C.; Protests against President Trump Taking Place in All 50 States; Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota State Law Enforcement Officials Hold Press Conference on Shooting of State Representative and State Senator and Their Spouses. Aired 10-11a ET.
Aired June 14, 2025 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:37]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to this special edition of CNN Newsroom. I'm Victor Blackwell in Atlanta.
And we begin this hour with breaking news out of Minnesota. A shelter- in-place order has been issued after what police called targeted shootings. They happened in the towns of Champlin and Brooklyn Park. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz put on this message on social media moments ago, "I've activated the State Emergency Operations Center. Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the state of Minnesota behind them. We are monitoring the situation closely."
With me now, CNN senior law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe and Juliette Kayyem, senior CNN national security analyst. Thank you both for being here. Shelter-in-place, Andy, for you first. They call this an ongoing situation. Tell us about what this suggests about the risk to the public.
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Sure. I think what it suggests most clearly right now is that our public safety officials, law enforcement officials in the area really don't have a handle on the threat. They're not in a position, they don't have enough information to be able to fully assess exactly what the threat is or where it is at this moment. And so they're advising, in an abundance of caution, doing the right thing, advising the residents of this area to stay in their homes, to not be out walking around where they might -- where they could encounter this threat or where they could encounter law enforcement looking for this threat and possibly be misidentified as someone who is involved in this activity.
So clearly the best course for people in the area to stay inside and give law enforcement the space and the time they need to do the search that they're currently doing, looking for this individual who is allegedly involved in what we've heard referred to as targeted shootings in the area. They have a description that they've put out about this person -- white male, wearing black body armor and blue pants and a blue shirt. So they're obviously doing a lot of work right now trying to identify anyone who looks like or matches that description. And so a good idea for the residents to stay out of that activity.
BLACKWELL: Yes. And Juliette, you know, for shootings that are described as targeted shootings to suggest then there is a shelter-in- place, what's that additional element? Because of course there are shootings, unfortunately, across this country every day. They don't spark this type of response. What's your read on what they know?
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So what we know right now is two Democratic legislators were targeted in their homes. There's also reporting about their spouses. So the first thing is, if you are a Democratic legislator in Minnesota or a politician, that there will be a need to protect yourself because this person knew where those legislators lived. And they also, apparently also, at least from the reporting that we're seeing right now from Minnesota, somehow their spouses may have been targets as well.
So these are at home targeted Democrats. And so your pool is going to be, in terms of potential victims, is going to be both that pool of legislators, but also anyone who might be in the area who might encounter this person, who looks like they want this notoriety, this, this sort of performance about targeting politicians.
And so that's very, as I say, we can never normalize this. This is, this is very distressing from both the law enforcement perspective, but also the political discourse and democracy perspective. And I think that's why you're seeing Governor Walz activate the Emergency Operations Center, and you're having this maybe overinclusive shelter- in-place. I get it, because people are waking up and they don't actually know what happened. One hopes that in the light of day that the perpetrator will be more easily found.
BLACKWELL: So I have to say here that CNN has not confirmed the targets of these shootings. There are some local stations that are reporting that, but we have not yet confirmed that.
[10:05:02]
KAYYEM: OK.
BLACKWELL: And let's talk about this radius of the shelter-in-place, three miles within the Edinburgh Golf Course. Now, I just mapped it this morning. Brooklyn Park to Champlin, that's about eight miles. To suggest that there's a three-mile radius of where this this shelter- in-place is, Andrew, to you, does that suggest that maybe they know where he is? I mean, why would the shelter-in-place be so narrow in scope when the shootings are far broader than the scope of the shelter-in-place? MCCABE: Yes, sure. There's a couple of reasons that might be at play
here. I should say, we don't really know yet because we haven't gotten any official information from authorities on the scene, but one of the reasons you may have, like they've focused the shelter-in-place on the area near the golf course, it might be because that's where the more recent shooting took place. So if we have a -- if, if the first shooting was in Champlin and they know approximately the time that happened, and then you have your second shooting -- again, this is, we're speculating here, near the golf course with a much later time, than they can be reasonably sure that the person is still within the area around the most recent shooting.
I should also say that the description which has been officially put out, the one I mentioned a minute ago, is particularly concerning because on its face, if you imagine a white male wearing black body armor and blue clothing, I mean, that's somebody who could potentially look like a police officer, could be somebody who is intentionally trying to look like a police officer, impersonate a police officer, in an area now where you have a lot of police officers who may at some point end up going door to door to ensure that people are safe. This really adds a very complicating and potentially dangerous element that this person might be in the area and could essentially be hiding in plain sight.
BLACKWELL: Yes, there's that possibility based on the description that someone who is attempting to look like a police officer, or, Juliette, someone who is preparing for a gunfight. I mean, if you are wearing body armor, that means that you are expecting to be shot at. This may be someone who -- and again, we're still waiting for an update. The governor says that there will be a news conference later this morning, but someone who expects engagement with law enforcement.
KAYYEM: Thats exactly right. I mean, he's clearly on the run, but he is anticipating an exit, and that exit is either he's going to be able to break free or he's going to interact or encounter law enforcement. And the challenge, as Andrew was saying, was, is, who is he? What does he look like? Who is he dressed as? And when you have a community in shelter-in-place, and you have someone who may be impersonating a police officer, that's a very disconcerting mix of atmospherics for the public, because you want them to feel confident in who the police are. And right now, at least from what is being reported, there is a concern that he is impersonating a police officer. Whether that's how he got access to the homes, we don't know right now.
BLACKWELL: All right, Juliette Kayyem, Andrew McCabe, thank you. And stay close, because we might come back to you. We're standing by to hear from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. And of course, we'll bring that to you live when it happens.
A day of protests and parades. Today marks the U.S. Army's 250th birthday, President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. Washington, D.C., is already celebrating. And later this afternoon, a military parade kicks off.
But outside the nation's capital, thousands of protests are taking shape in every state across the country. Millions of people are expected to join the so-called No Kings protests. The organizers think they'll be the strongest display of opposition to the administration since January.
Now, one just started in Atlanta with people gathering outside the state capital building. Authorities are ready. A lot of them are telling protesters that they may carry on as long as things do not get out of control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, (D) NEW YORK CITY: All week we have seen the professionalism of the NYPD and our partners in law enforcement. And we expect large number of New Yorkers to be out on our streets, and the 34,000 members of New York city police department led by our team, will be protecting everyone. And we want to keep all New Yorkers safe, whether you are protesting or going about your everyday life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACKWELL: All right, in some areas, like Los Angeles, protests have already been underway, as you know, for days. They started in response to the administration's immigration crackdown.
[10:10:00]
And President Trump took note and bypassed Governor Gavin Newsom to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles.
We're covering all the angles of this story. CNN's Julia Benbrook is on the parade route in Washington, D.C., Betsy Klein is at the White House, Rafael Romo is in Atlanta.
Let's start with Julia. Julia, good morning to you. And I understand you're in what's described as the festival area. What's happening now and what's expected throughout the day there?
JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Now, there's been a lot of talk about this parade that is happening later in the evening, but it's important to note that those plans really only came into fruition in these last several months since President Donald Trump started his second term. But there have been plans for celebrations, a festival to honor the 250th anniversary of the Army for several years now. And those events are starting here on the National Mall.
I'm going to step out so that you can see what's starting now. It is a fitness competition, and it is being used to show the teamwork and the skills that it takes. I spoke with some soldiers here who said that some of these exercises are like what they do in morning PT, that there is an emphasis on strength and endurance when it comes to this.
Now, there are also vendors set up here on the National Mall. We're going to see several musical performances throughout the day, including from the U.S. Army military band, as well as the U.S. Army drill team. There is going to be some cooking demonstrations, and then, as well as an NFL skills and drills events. They are really billing this as a family friendly day and encouraging people to come out.
There will be a time that we'll see the Medal of Honor recipients recognized. And then near the end of this, Victor, there will be a ceremony with a cake, because of course, it is the 250th birthday of the army. And then that's when the focus is really going to switch over to the parade. And then, weather permitting, we will see fireworks as well.
BLACKWELL: Julia Benbrook, a lot going on behind you there. Thank you for that report.
Let's go now to Betsy Klein, CNN senior reporter there at the White House. Betsy, talk to us about some of the equipment that we'll see at this parade. What's happening for those seven blocks or so?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Victor, the origin of this parade is both 250 years ago on this day in 1775, when the Continental Army was founded, as well as July of 2017, when President Trump went to Paris for a Bastille Day parade at the invitation of President Macron. The president told aides and advisers aboard Air Force One on his way back from Paris that he wanted a military parade just like that. And his military officials at the time said no, including his then Defense Secretary, James Mattis, who said he would, quote, "rather swallow acid," something he said privately, than have a parade of this sort. He was pointing to some of the concerns about the price of a parade like this, as well as the optics.
Now, eight years later, we are seeing the president get what he wanted, and it really underscores the different types of aides and officials the president has surrounded himself with in his second term. So I just want to take you by the numbers of what we are expecting today, Victor, 6,700 soldiers on the streets, 50 helicopters, 34 horses, one dog, and 2,870 pound Abrams tanks on the streets. The price tag of this parade is going to be approximately $45 million.
And this is also a moment of great juxtaposition here on the east coast. We are going to see fireworks. We're going to see tanks rolling on the streets as well as military flyovers. While on the west coast, we are seeing the response to those protests in the Los Angeles area over the president's deportation policies. The president deploying National Guard as well as active duty Marines to Los Angeles. We're also expecting, as you mentioned, those nationwide protests. And here's what the president said about potential unrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, (R) U.S. PRESIDENT: And were going to be celebrating big on Saturday. We're going to have a lot of -- and if there's any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force. By the way, for those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force. And I haven't even heard about a protest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KLEIN: Now, today also marks the president's 79th birthday, something that officials say is a coincidence. And Trump, for his part, saying, it's my birthday, but I'm not celebrating my birthday. It happens to be the same day, so I take a little heat. Victor?
BLACKWELL: Betsy Klein at the White House. Now I'm curious about what the dog story is. You've got all these soldiers, you've got the helicopters.
KELIN: Just one.
BLACKWELL: One dog. I'll be looking out for that. All right, Betsy Klein for us at the White House. Thank you.
So now the president says he hadn't heard about any protests. There are thousands of protests that will be going on across the country, one in -- at least one in every state. The CNN national correspondent Rafael Romo is there at the protest in Atlanta. What are you seeing there, Rafael?
[10:15:00]
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Hey, Victor, good morning to you. Yes, there is a protest going on here in Atlanta, and this is one of the most iconic places in the city. Behind me, as you can see, is the Georgia state capital. And this beautiful green space where I'm standing is Liberty Plaza. This is where Atlanta's No Kings protest is being held. And it started just a few minutes ago. It feels more like a rally, Victor, than a protest. And in the next couple of hours, we will hear from multiple speakers who will address this crowd.
The local organizers say they are protesting what they call authoritarianism, billionaire first politics, and the militarization of our democracy, while at the same time criticizing President Trump's parade, which they call self-aggrandizing. More than 2,000 protests across all 50 states, as you were mentioning, are scheduled to take place the same day as President Trump has organized the military parade in Washington, D.C., marking both the 250th anniversary of the Army, as well as the presidents 79th birthday.
In the last few minutes, I spoke with one of the organizers who spelled out the reason why these people around the country are calling these demonstrations No Kings protests. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIN CROWE, LEAD ORGANIZER, INDIVISIBLE GEORGIA COALITION: In America we don't have kings. We don't have thrones. The power belongs to the people, and the country belongs to the people. And we want to have one voice for folks to come together and make that known.
RENEE HALL-GEORGE, SOCIAL WORKER: Migrants being picked up that aren't doing anything wrong, being shipped to other countries, like, it's crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROMO: And Victor, that protest was -- protester was a social worker who told us she couldn't stay at home on a Saturday morning because she wanted to make sure her voice was heard, the same thing that people here are telling us this morning. Now back to you.
BLACKWELL: All right, Atlanta, the site of one of the more than 2,000 protests that are happening across the country today. Rafael Romo, thank you very much. Here's a look at the map of all those protests in cities across the country.
All right, we'll continuing to follow the breaking news also out of Minnesota, where there is a shelter-in-place order for a three-mile radius of Edinburgh Golf Course, that's in Brooklyn Park, after targeted shootings. We're expecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to speak at a news conference at the bottom of the hour. We, of course, will bring that to you live. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:22:06]
BLACKWELL: We've got more for you now on the breaking news out of Minnesota. A shelter-in-place order has been issued after what police are calling targeted shootings. And now, according to Senator Amy Klobuchar, she offered her prayers to the families of Representative Amy (ph) Hortman and Senator John Hoffman. The shooting took place in the towns of Champlin and Brooklyn Park. Senator Klobuchar identified both victims as lawmakers, and she described them as close friends and devoted to their families and public service.
Right now, a shelter-in-place order, as I said, has been issued for a three-mile radius of Edinburgh Golf Course. We're expecting Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to speak at a news conference at the bottom of the hour. We'll bring that to you live. But the latest element here, according to Senator Amy Klobuchar, two Democratic lawmakers have been targeted as part of these shootings in Minnesota, State Representative Melissa Hortman and State Senator John Hoffman. Of course, we'll get you the latest as soon as we get it.
All right, now to the nation's capital ramping up for a massive military parade late this afternoon. Protests are getting underway across the country. Protesters have been told to keep it peaceful or face the wrath of the federal government.
Joining me now is Republican Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida. Sir, good to have you back on CNN. You are a supporter of the president, but I want to put back up for you that map, if you have a monitor where you are, of all the protests across the country, the so- called No Kings day, in more than 2,000 cities, millions of people expected to participate. What's your reaction to the scope and scale of the protests here?
REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ, (R-FL) HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Well, you know, we live in America, and people have the right to protest. A lot of people are concerned about what's happening with immigration. And so they have the right to protest. We will defend their right to protest, and then we'll see how many people actually come out and protest. And hopefully it's all peaceful. And that's the American way, and that's the way it should be.
BLACKWELL: You know, it's interesting. You say that, of course, in America, people have the right to protest and you'll defend their right. But the president said from the Oval Office that if there are protesters, making no distinction between peaceful protesters, violent protesters, destructive protesters, they will be met with a heavy force. And so what is your assessment there? The president saying if there are protesters, there will be a heavy force.
GIMENEZ: I'm sure the president meant that if there were violent protesters, because that's what we've been seeing in L.A. And so I'm not going to mince words with the president. Obviously, if you have a right to protest, we do have a right to protest.
[10:25:00]
Look, I was mayor of Miami-Dade County. We protected those that protested. But once they got out of line, if they resorted to violence or destruction of property, we did -- we put them in jail.
BLACKWELL: OK.
GIMENEZ: And so I'm sure that the president was referring to those that step out of line, that resort to violence or are destroying property. Yes, they will, they should be, you know, you should be treated with a much heavier hand. They should be put in jail because that's not what America is about either.
BLACKWELL: You say put him in jail. I want to play for you what the sheriff of Brevard County says that his deputies will do with violent protesters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF WAYNE IVEY, BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at, because we will kill you graveyard dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIMENEZ: He says if you try to mob rule a car in Brevard County, gathering around it, refusing to let the driver leave in our county, you're most likely going to get run over and dragged across the street. If you spit on us, you're going to the hospital and then to jail. If you hit one of us, you're going to the hospital and jail and most likely get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs we have here.
Do you think that's responsible rhetoric from the sheriff of Brevard County?
GIMENEZ: I think it's a little bit excessive. Obviously very excessive. No, I don't think that that's responsible rhetoric. I think he was trying to put a point across that, hey, just when you when you go ahead and protest, protest peacefully. And so again, like when I was the mayor of Miami-Dade County, if you did step out of line, we would arrest you. We're not going to kill you, all right? But we will arrest you.
Unless, of course, you pose a threat to either another, another civilian or to one of our officers. Then our officers have the right to defend themselves. And people do have the right to defend themselves. And so that's also a right in this country.
And so, you know, it's all how you take it. It's all how you interpret it. I think the rhetoric maybe have been a little bit too, too, too, too powerful. But I think the message was, hey, protest, protest peacefully, and then everything will be OK.
BLACKWELL: Let's talk about temporary protected status, something that you have been very focused on with your constituency there, we know also Representative Salazar in a nearby district as well. The administration revoked TPS for Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, Cubans who came in under the Biden administration. You have opposed the revocation of that protection. I wonder if you've been able to meet with the administration on this as some of those notices and revoking work visas is starting to go out?
GIMENEZ: Yes, I have. And so I've relayed my concerns to the administration. I think that, look, what happened was with the Biden administration, you had a wide open border causing really chaos in this country. And so you had a pendulum go all the way over here. When you release that pendulum, it goes all the way over here. And I think we need to get back to the middle, so that we continue to deport those that are criminals, that are gang members, that have deportation orders.
But you know what? There's a lot of migrants here that had protective status, they actually had a legal status here, that were working, and actually were productive members of our society. We need to find a solution for that. But also, in the interim, we need to make sure that they can continue to work. And so, yes, I've relayed my concerns to the administration and I'll continue to relay my concerns to the administration. We need to find the middle ground, because, again, I think that's the right thing to do.
BLACKWELL: But Congressman, it doesn't sound like the president, the White House is listening, because, listen, I know you've been making -- you've been making this case for some time now. Representative Salazar has been making this case for some time now. And at every incremental step, the trend has been revoking the protections for the people that you're fighting for. So I hear you disagreeing. What's the evidence?
GIMENEZ: Well, the evidence was a couple of days ago that the president tweeted out that that maybe we should be looking at giving those that are agricultural workers and service workers a way to stay. I want to expand that, because it's not just agricultural workers and social and service workers. There are also some professionals here. And so I want to expand that. And so we're going to continue to have dialog. So I do believe that actually we're making were making progress. We just need to get to where we need to get to. And it's not going to happen overnight.
He has other people in his ear on the other side. They're a little bit more extreme than I am, actually a lot more extreme than I am in the case of immigrants here working in our country. And then you have to differentiate between what the members of Tren de Aragua, people that were up in New York and they were in in hotel rooms and basically unemployed and homeless, you have to differentiate those.
[14:30:09]
Immigrants come in all shapes and sizes and they do all kinds of different things. We need to find what makes sense for the United States of America and then put a good policy in place to make that happen. That doesn't happen overnight. Like I said, you know, you had this pendulum of chaos with the Biden administration allowing everybody in the world and a wide open border, which nobody wanted, which allowed many criminals, many gang members in our in our country, which basically tainted the good people that were here already. And so that that pendulum has swung back too far and we need to bring it back to the middle.
BLACKWELL: Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida, thank you for your time this morning.
GIMENEZ: It's my pleasure.
BLACKWELL: All right, more on the breaking news now out of Minnesota. Two lawmakers have been shot in what police are calling a targeted attack. Representative Melissa Hortman and Senator John Hoffman were both injured. The shootings to place in the towns of Champlin and Brooklyn Park. Right now, a shelter-in-place order has been issued in a three-mile radius of Edinburgh Golf Course. We're expecting Minnesota governor Tim Walz to speak at a news conference in just a few moments. Of course, we'll bring that live to you when it happens.
But lets bring back now Juliette Kayyem. And Juliette, we've now confirmed through this posting from Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar that these were lawmakers, as you previewed earlier in the show. And so now fit the identities and the profiles of these two into the law enforcement element, how this changes the search and what law enforcement is doing in Minnesota.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: OK, so I know that social media is very -- is coming to conclusions. So it's my responsibility to say there's sort of two ways that law enforcement is looking at this. One is going to be you have a state rep and a state senator in relatively the same area. So I just want to make it clear this may be a constituent unhappy with them and is represented by both of them. So what the investigators are going to be looking at is, you know, is there a constituent, someone focused on them as politicians?
And I need to say that because the second alternative of investigations is the one that we worry about the most, which is these are Democratic lawmakers, as identified by Senator Klobuchar and others, and certainly by news media there, and that someone is particularly targeting Democrats within the state legislature in the state. And then you have a pool of people that need to be protected.
So those are going to be the two levels of inquiry. One seems very obvious given our times, given the radicalization and politics and violence. But there is also a plausible other theory that investigators have to look at as well. So that's sort of where the investigation is right now.
BLACKWELL: And so more than a search, of course, the primary goal right now is to apprehend and detain the suspect. What else is happening right now to maybe get answers to those questions or to determine if this is broader than just one person?
KAYYEM: Yes. So I mean, one will be other suspects. And this is ongoing. So there's postings online about how many suspects. But we certainly know that that there is concern that he's -- this person is impersonating a police officer, which just makes it very confusing on the ground about who to trust and who not to trust. And that probably explains the governor's shelter-in-place at this stage, because people are waking up. They didn't know this happened. And you just want people to sort of stay put until law enforcement can determine what is the scope of harm.
And to my point previously, if this appears to be targeted for a larger group of people, in other words, the Democratic -- because they're Democrats, you're going to have a larger pool of people you need to protect. Is it a potential constituent because they're in the same area, the two legislators? Then what did the officers know? Were there people, was there a person threatening them?
I don't know right now what the answer is, but I will say the fact that the -- a plausible interpretation, of course, is that someone targeted Democrats in their area is just a reflection of a time in which, you know, sort of violence is part of our political discourse. As we learn more about the relationship, potentially, of the shooter to the suspects or to their homes or to their families, we will then be able to focus on what the meaning of this is.
[10:35:07]
But the fact that we are concerned that the motive is some extension of political disagreement, now, violence would make every state legislator nervous, every rep, every senator. We certainly know that. And so we'll learn more over the next couple hours.
BLACKWELL: Again, the two victims who have been injured in this shooting identified by Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, State Representative Melissa Hortman and State Senator John Hoffman. She posted on social media her thoughts going to their families.
Again, we are waiting for a news conference out of Minnesota, the latest on this search and this targeted shooting. Governor Tim Walz will be speaking in just a few minutes. Stay with us, Juliette Kayyem. We're going to take a quick break, and we got the shot up. Let's put it up. This is where we're expecting to get the latest on this search and the latest on these shootings. Keep it right here on CNN. We'll have it for you as soon as it starts live. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:40:40]
BLACKWELL: All right, more on the breaking news out of Minnesota. Two lawmakers have been shot in what police are calling a targeted attack. A representative, Melissa Hortman, and Senator John Hoffman were both injured. These shootings happened in the towns of Champlin and Brooklyn Park.
Let's bring back now Juliette Kayyem and Andrew McCabe. And Andrew, I'll start with you. We're just getting this through social media from Senator Tina Smith. We heard from Senator Amy Klobuchar, but Minnesota Senator Tina Smith tweeted out, and I'll just read it, "This morning, Minnesota woke up to news of a brutal act of violence targeting public servants. I'm heartbroken to learn that our speaker, Melissa Hortman, Senator John Hoffman, and their spouses have been shot. I've worked closely with these legislators for many years. Archie and I are grateful for the incredible response of law enforcement and hope that everyone will be safe today."
And so now the addition of the shooting, according to Senator Smith, of the spouses. Does that change the perspective of this investigation? Before the break, we were talking with Juliette about maybe these were constituents or this was someone who was ideologically driven, partisan. So we don't know that yet. But now to know that their spouses, too, have been shot, does that change it significantly?
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it certainly elevates the danger that the entire community faces here. So you have to remember, you really have kind of two things going on at once here. First and foremost, they are in the middle of a deadly manhunt. You have, no matter what his motivation was or how he picked his targets you have someone who went into two neighborhoods in suburban Minnesota and committed acts of horrific, targeted, intentional violence, and that person is still at large. The police are approaching this as, in a very similar way as they would to when we have escapees from a prison facility. They know what the description is. They know where he was last seen. They're going to set up a perimeter around that area. They're going to have all citizens and civilians shelter-in-place to stay off the deck, as it were. And they're going to look for that person.
On the other hand, knowing the similarities between these victims and the possibility, the distinct possibility that this may have been politically motivated violence directed at specifically Democrats, that gives investigators two things. One, it identifies a population that you now have to put on really high alert. I'm sure they are probably reaching out to other Democratic politicians in that area to make sure that they're safe, that they haven't been victimized, and to instruct them on what steps to take.
And also, it might indicate for them new potential targets, like where this person they are looking for might be headed next. If in fact, they're not already just committed to fleeing the area, they may be looking for another target that they have in mind. Investigators are probably racing to look to uncover every similarity between these two victims, not just the fact that they're both state politicians, that they're both Democratic. But did they work on any particular piece of legislation together? Did they cosponsor some effort in the Minnesota legislature? Are they social acquaintances? Is there a group of people, small group of people that they belong to that may actually be the target of this activity? So it definitely gives investigators a lot to work with. But at the end of the day, they've got to find this guy before he hurts someone else.
BLACKWELL: And Juliette, again on the right side of the screen, we are awaiting an update from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz about these targeted shootings. But as I was listening to Andrew and he said that there's the possibility that this person may be going for another target, I'm thinking about the protests that are happening all across the country. And if this is driven by partisan aims -- and we don't know that, we just know that the two have been who have been shot are both Democrats -- how does that change the law enforcement or the protection of those demonstrations, those protests that are happening across Minnesota?
[10:45:10]
KAYYEM: Right. So that's exactly right. So look, we all went into this weekend, we're all going into this weekend on elevated alert both because of the military deployments in Los Angeles and the unrest there and that whole debate as well as the rallies against Donald Trump, essentially, the No Kings rallies as they're being called. And then, of course, the footprint in D.C. with this Army anniversary parade that Donald -- that the president has essentially sort of basically called his own because it is his birthday.
So you have these three different pieces, all of them elevating huge debates in this country and, and, and anger. And now you've put into it, I want to be very clear. Law enforcement uses the word "targeted" as both as a description to say this person, or people, the suspects, looked online, found the home of two top legislators, figured out a way to get to the home impersonating a law enforcement official in the middle of the morning. We don't know. But perhaps they knocked on the door impersonating a police officer. Get -- coolly and coldly gets into their car, or somehow gets to a second home and does the same thing. That's about as premeditated as you can imagine. And that is the scary part. So you're adding that, a premeditated targeting and potentially politically motivated --
BLACKWELL: Juliette, I'm going to interrupt here because Governor Tim Walz is now at the podium. So we're going to listen in.
GOV. TIM WALZ, (D) MINNESOTA: Thank you for being here. In a moment, you'll hear from law enforcement officials who will share with you what they can as up to minute update on the situation here in Minnesota. You're going to be joined by Commissioner Bob Jacobson, BCA Superintendent Drew Evans, State Patrol Colonel Christina Bogojevic, Champlin Park Police Chief Schneider and Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley, as well as the mayor of Brooklyn Park. We're here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in
Minnesota. My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination. Our state lost a great leader, and I lost a dearest of friends. Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service. She was a formidable public servant, a fixture, and a giant in Minnesota. She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place. She is irreplaceable, and will be missed by so many. Minnesota's thoughts and prayers are with her family, her loved ones, her children, and her parents.
My prayers also go out to State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who were each shot multiple times. The Hoffmans are out of surgery at this time and receiving care, and we are cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt.
This was an act of targeted political violence. Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint. In the state of Minnesota and as recently as last week, in the most closely divided state legislature in the country, we sat down, we worked things out, we debated, we shook hands and compromised, and we served the state of Minnesota together. We proved that it's possible, even in these politically charged times, to find compromise and adhere to the principles of democracy and civil discourse.
We must all, Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence. At this precipice moment we're on, this tragic act here in Minnesota should serve as a reminder to all of us that democracy and the debates in the halls of Congress, in state houses, in school boards, is a way to settle our differences peacefully and move society to a better place.
We're collaborating with all local, state, and federal agencies on a full investigation. We're committed to keeping Minnesotans informed as the situation continues.
[10:50:03]
I assure you that those held -- those responsible for this will be held accountable. And each and every one of us are committed to making sure that a tragedy like this never repeats itself in Minnesota or across this country.
I'd now like to turn it over to my public safety team to fill you in on the specifics of this ongoing investigation.
DREW EVANS, SUPERINTENDENT, MINNESOTA BUREAU OF CRIMINAL APPREHENSION: Thank you, Governor, and thank you, everyone, for being here today. My name is Drew Evans, and I'm the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. I want to start by just expressing our deepest sympathies to the communities, the family, the friends, and everybody that cared about the individuals that were gunned down today. When we have individuals like this in our political leadership, they're not only political leaders, but they're members of the community, well-known members of their community, that the tragedy in a situation like this is not only for them, their friends and families, but us collectively, the communities they represent, us as the state of Minnesota as a whole.
About 2:00 a.m. this morning, there was an original call in the city of Champlin where there was an individual that had shot Senator Hoffman and his wife. Police responded to that location. They were dealing with that and working through that process overnight. And then later on, at approximately 3:35, another call came in when it was officers proactively checking because they knew of the incident that occurred and they were going to check on a Speaker Hortman at that time, at which time Brooklyn Park police officers encountered the individual, who immediately fired at them, and they exchanged gunfire. And then the individual was able to escape during that exchange of gunfire.
At the residence in Champlin, there was life saving measures that were provided there. Both individuals were transported, as was previously noted, and they both received surgeries for their injuries at the hospital. And their conditions at this time, both those individuals, Senator Hoffman and his wife, are both alive at this time, but they suffered gunshot wounds and are obviously in a difficult situation. But we're cautiously optimistic that they will continue to improve.
At this time, it is a very active scene still, as you've seen. The Brooklyn Park Police Department, along with other members, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, state patrol, FBI, BCA, and many others are actively engaged in a manhunt for the individual that we believe is responsible for this. And so we'll be sharing that identity with those individuals as this progresses. But I'm going to caution you, I know there's going to be a ton of interest in this. We're not at the position we can do that as we're actively searching for that individual.
Right now, just as noted, we have teams in the county sheriff's office in Champlin are working at the scene there, that occurred there. And then we are also, as were stabilizing this between Brooklyn Park, working on the homicide investigation with Brooklyn Park police, the BCA. FBI is assisting there as well and will be conducting crime scene investigation there. And then the individuals that were killed will be doing autopsies of those individuals to determine the extent of their injuries and how they passed away. But it was from gunshot wounds.
At this time, I will answer questions after Commissioner of Public Safety Bob Jacobson, speaks, but we'll be happy to take a few questions.
BOB JACOBSON, MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER: Thank you, Superintendent Evans. My name is Bob Jacobson. It's my honor to serve as the commissioner of public safety for the state of Minnesota.
This is a dark day today for Minnesota and for democracy. But we will not allow fear or violence to define who we are or how we move forward. We will stand together, and we will stand strong. Our hearts, of course, go out to the victims, their families, their colleagues at the capital, and to the communities that they serve with dedication and with integrity. These are our public servants, leaders who committed their lives to improving the lives of others, and they were targeted in a violent and cowardly way. The suspect exploited the trust of our uniforms, that our uniforms are meant to represent. That betrayal is deeply disturbing to those of us who wear the badge with honor and responsibility.
We want to reassure the public that there is increased security in place for elected officials and others who may be at risk.
[10:55:00]
If you see anything suspicious, especially involving individuals impersonating law enforcement, please report it immediately by calling 911 or your local police department.
With that, I'll step back and we will be available for any questions. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reminder, please, as you ask you first questions, please don't forget to introduce yourselves, your media organization, and to the to the folks answering the questions, please don't forget to repeat the question.
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So can you say it one more time? So you were just going to proactively check on the -- and then police there encountered the gunman or someone with a gun and exchanged gunfire? Can you just go over that one more time, please?
CHIEF MARK BRULEY, BROOKLYN PARK, MINNESOTA POLICE: I can. Good morning. Police Chief Mark Bruley, Brooklyn Park Police Department. The question is, how did we get to Representative Hortman's house, and if it was proactively or not.
The circumstances that unfolded in Brooklyn Park this morning is that we assisted the Champlin Police Department on a shooting. That shooting was made aware by one of our sergeants that it was a Senator Hoffman's home. In hearing that, that very intuitive sergeant asked our officers to go check on Melissa Hortman's home, the representative that lives in our community, just proactively as due diligence to swing by. That police officer and his partner pulled down the street when they arrived at Melissa's house. They noticed that there was a police vehicle in the driveway with the lights, emergency lights on and what appeared to be a police officer at the door coming out of the house.
When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gunfire, and the suspect retreated back into the home.
(INAUDIBLE) BRULEY: Yes, the question, was it a real person or a person
impersonating a police officer.
It was not a real police officer. This is somebody that clearly had been impersonating a police officer, again, using the trust of this badge and this uniform to manipulate their way into the home.
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The person not only was wearing a badge posing as a police officer when they approached their victims, they had a car with lights and sirens?
BRULEY: Yes. The question is what kind of vehicle and how were they dressed. They did drive a vehicle that looked exactly like an SUV squad car. It was equipped with lights, emergency lights that looked exactly like a police vehicle. And yes, they were wearing a vest with taser, other equipment that would -- a badge very similar to mine that, no question, if they were in this room, you would assume that they are a police officer.
(INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you describe the moments after that played out? You said the person went into the home, and then can you help us understand the next 10, 15 minutes of how we got to the point we're at now?
BRULEY: Yes, briefly, although I'm just going to remind us that this is an active investigation. We have thousands of people sheltered-in- place in the city of Brooklyn Park right now. We are in an extensive manhunt involving hundreds and hundreds of police officers and SWAT teams searching, gridding off areas as we believe, confidently, the suspect had fled out the back of the house after being confronted by the police.
Very briefly, after the officers had exchanged gunfire and the suspect retreated into Melissa's home, they immediately went up to the threshold and looked in and seen a male that was down, clearly had been struck by gunfire. They made limited penetration, grabbed a hold of the male and drug him out to safety to attempt first aid. However, he was pronounced dead shortly after that. At that point, the officers surrounded the house, got additional resources and SWAT resources, and then ultimately went in with a drone identifying a female in the home.
(INAUDIBLE)
BRULEY: I would say somewhere around five or six miles apart.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much do you know about the person that was impersonating an officer who allegedly shot these people? Did they knock on the door and people came to the door, or did the person break into the home?
BRULEY: Yes, it was it was knocking on the door and asking the person to come out, absolutely impersonating a police officer. (INAUDIBLE)
BRULEY: We do have the suspect's car. The suspect is on foot. That is what the large scale search is currently going on. I just remind the residents of Brooklyn Park, I know it's been a long time, but those that are in the grid that we gave the alert out, to continue to shelter-in-place. We're also reminding them that if somebody comes to the door and they knock on the door and claim to be a police officer, please do a couple of things. One, call 911 and confirm that the officer belongs there. If they are a police officer, dispatch will be able to confirm that that person is a police officer.
Also, we have informed all our officers in Brooklyn Park that they are not to approach anybody by themselves. They're to approach in pairs, meaning two officers. So if there's only one officer outside the door, do not answer the door and call 911. If it's a Brooklyn Park police officer or any of our partners that are assisting, they will come in pairs of two or more.
(INAUDIBLE)
BRULEY: I'm sorry, one at a time.
(INAUDIBLE)
BRULEY: We do know that he did, but I'm going to hold that back as part of the investigation --
