MN lawmaker shootings: Impersonating law enforcement will become felony
Prosecutors still deciding on death penalty for Vance Boelter
The man accused of shooting Minnesota lawmakers, Vance Boelter, was back in court Friday. Federal prosecutors are still deciding if they want to pursue the death penalty for Boelter.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Impersonating a police officer is about to get you a stronger punishment in Minnesota because of an assassin’s attacks last June.
Minnesota lawmaker shootings
The backstory:
Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, plus their dog Gilbert, died in the June 14, 2025 shooting at their Brooklyn Park home.
Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, survived the attack at their Champlin home, along with their daughter, Hope.
John Hoffman's bill
Why you should care:
Hoffman wrote the bill making it a felony instead of a misdemeanor to impersonate an officer, which the shooter was doing.
"It sends a clear signal to people that will face stiff and severe consequences if they violate that trust. When I answered the door on June 14, I did so because of the trust. And I never want another person in this state to have that trust shattered," Hoffman said.
What's next:
The bill has now passed unanimously in the House and the Senate. It’s off to the Governor’s office for his signature, and then it takes effect Aug. 1.