Fundraising Efforts Surge After Minnesota Lawmakers’ Attack

Online campaigns supporting victims of the recent violent assault in Minnesota have garnered nearly $400,000. The attacks occurred when 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter allegedly shot state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their home in Champlin.

The Fernbrook Elementary School PTO established a GoFundMe titled “Help the Hoffmans,” which had raised over $184,974 of its $210,000 goal as of Friday. Funds are designated for medical bills, rehabilitation, lost income, home security improvements, and daily expenses. Yvette Hoffman was discharged from the hospital Thursday after being shot eight times, while Sen. Hoffman remains in critical but stable condition after nine gunshot wounds.

The Hoffmans expressed gratitude to donors, acknowledging the support that helps them heal during this difficult time. They also shared their heartbreak over the death of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, who were killed in the attacks. Their daughter, Hope, was a schoolmate of Hortman’s daughter, Natalie, adding a personal grief weight to the tragedy.

A separate GoFundMe for the Hortman children, created by Melissa’s brother, Patrick Haluptzok, has raised over $195,137 of its $200,000 goal. Sophie and Colin Hortman, the couple’s adult children, released a statement mourning their parents, describing them as the “bright lights” of their lives and expressing their profound loss.

Vance Luther Boelter faces federal charges of stalking and murder, linked to a plan that included a cache of automatic weapons, a hit list of 45 officials and providers in the state, and a targeted search for lawmakers and their spouses. He has not yet entered a plea.