Photo shared by the FBI of the Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, wearing a mask. (Supplied)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Impersonating a police officer could get offenders a stronger punishment in Minnesota because of an assassin’s attacks on lawmakers last June.
Bill proposes stiffer penalties for impersonating police
Big picture view:
Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark died in the shooting at their home.
Senator John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin) and his wife, Yvette, survived the attack at their home, along with their daughter, Hope.
Sen. Hoffman is proposing an enhancement for crimes committed while impersonating a police officer.
His bill would make impersonating an officer a felony instead of a misdemeanor.
It passed through committee unanimously on Thursday and if it becomes law, it would take effect on August 1.
What they're saying:
Sen. Hoffman emphasized the significance of the bill while speaking at the Minnesota State Capitol.
"I was almost killed," Sen. Hoffman said. "My wife was almost killed and my daughter had a gun faced in her face by an individual who looked like a police officer had a vehicle that looked like a police vehicle. Yelled 'this is police' had his license plate that said police on it was wearing everything that you would think a police officer is, but you know what, Mr. Chair, he was not a police officer."