In a series of politically motivated shootings on Saturday morning in Minnesota, a man killed a Democratic state representative and her husband, and wounded a state senator and his wife. For New Jersey lawmakers, the attacks struck close to home.
Vance Boelter was arrested Sunday for the killing of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, as well as the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Sorrow over the killings, which are just the latest example of political violence in a country plagued with division, was prevalent in Trenton on Monday.
“It’s a scary thing, because that’s our equivalent, you know,” Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger (R-Middletown) told the New Jersey Globe. “They’re state legislators, and the fact that it’s so planned out is scary.”
Police in Minnesota say Boelter was carrying a “hit list” of 45 elected officials, all of whom were Democrats, according to NPR. The suspect, according to acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joe Thompson, went to the homes of four lawmakers disguised as a police officer with the intent of killing them. Authorities reportedly theorize that Boelter, who now faces charges of murder, attempted murder, and other crimes, had been planning the killings for months.
Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli (D-Hopewell Twp), the chairman of the Assembly Labor Committee, opened Monday’s hearing with a moment of silence and disavowal of the violence.
“We’re all here to create a better and safer society,” Verrelli said at the start of the hearing. “It’s difficult to find the right words to describe exactly how chilling, concerning, and profoundly upsetting a tragedy like this is for our entire country.”
The Minnesota killings come as officials in Trenton take further precautions. Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D-Trenton) told the New Jersey Globe her office, located across the street from the Statehouse, is moving because of “egress issues” in case of emergency.
“It didn’t just start with the episode in Minnesota,” Reynolds-Jackson said. “We’ve seen a rise in [violence against] elected officials across the country.”
The commission that manages the Statehouse complex is also weighing whether to bar the public from parking in the garage underneath the complex. Eric Brophy, the chair of the commission, said allowing visitor parking in the garage allows for a “security issue,” according to NorthJersey.com. Advocates have expressed concerns that the change would make the Statehouse less accessible to citizens who hope to participate in the lawmaking process.
The potential move aligns with a broader security plan that involves the use of a small security building in the front of the Statehouse, as opposed to screening at multiple entrances.
“There has been this ongoing concern about legislators and having to protect us, and I think that is a testament to some of the things that are happening,” Reynolds-Jackson said.
The assemblywoman said she hopes the investigation into the attacker and how he obtained his weapon spurs action to prevent similar attacks.
“I think we go back to that conversation as well, making sure that we get these guns off the street and really focusing on the mental health piece,” she said. “My heart breaks for this family.”
In a statement over the weekend, Gov. Phil Murphy condemned the Minnesota attacks and said state law enforcement would ramp up security efforts for officials.
“Although there is no known or credible threat in New Jersey, out of an abundance of caution, Attorney General [Matt] Platkin has stepped up security for public officials and increased patrols statewide,” Murphy said in the release.
The governor said New Jersey is not immune to instances of violence against officials, pointing to the killing of a New Jersey-based judge’s son in 2020. In that case, a disgruntled lawyer targeted U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, but killed her 20-year-old son Daniel Anderl when he opened the door and wounded her husband Mark.
Daniel’s name has been back in the news as of late: Dozens of judges across the country have received anonymous pizza deliveries with Daniel’s name on them in apparent attempts to intimidate the jurists. Many of the delivers have gone to judges who have ruled against President Donald Trump, who has called the judiciary “radicalized and incompetent.”
Salas, while speaking to PBS NewsHour last month to urge leaders to tone down angry rhetoric, gave a prescient warning.
“When our leaders lead by using inflammatory rhetoric, they are inviting people to do us harm,” she said. “And we have to remember, we have to remember that lives are at stake.”