Disability advocate survived shooting
Who is Hope Hoffman?
In the horrific shootings in Minneapolis on 14 June 2025, Hope Hoffman survived.
According to news reports from the Minnesota Star Tribune and WCCO, a gunman disguised as a police officer entered the home of Yvette and John Hoffman, a Minnesota legislator, and repeatedly shot them. The gunman then went to another residence about 8 kilometers away and shot and killed Melissa Hortman, another legislator, and Matt Hortman.
In a statement to KARE, another local television news station, and on Facebook (via the Star Tribune), Mat Olig (a nephew of the Hoffmans) said that Yvette Hoffman shielded Hope Hoffman from the shooter. Ms. Hoffman was unharmed. Ms. Hoffman’s parents received immediate and extensive medical care and are recuperating.
Hope Hoffman is a woman who was born with spina bifida. She has pursued interests in public policy by studying policy, working in law offices, and serving on public committees. Here are a few notes:
In addition to her membership in the Young Women’s Cabinet, Ms. Hoffman has created resources on the intertubes, some of which reflect her advocacy work. For example, she created a Tumbler site where she provided an account of the history of disability and explained her life at age 17 (“I’m Hope, I’m seventeen, I love animals, my socks never match, my favorite color is pink, I’m stubborn as hell, and I was born with Spina Bifida.”).
In 2017, Ms. Hoffman was a member of Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s Young Women’s Cabinet. The Web site announcing the appointment of members for the group has little about its activities, but there is a bio for each member.
She shared her perspective and aspirations as a young woman with a disability in an interview with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and the Young Women’s Initiative. I encourage readers to watch the video of the interview.Senator John Hoffman introduced his daughter as a speaker 25 March 2025 for “Disability Day” at the Minnesota House of Representatives. Ms. Hoffman posted her remarks on her Instagram account “_thehopetheory_” where she also has links to other examples of her work. Here they are in a video that the Minnesota DFL (the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, so expect some political language) posted to YouTube
I hope that Ms. Hoffman has a long a productive career and I wish her parents speedy, easy, and excellent recoveries from their injuries.
I had not heard this part of the story. I wish a speedy recovery to Hope's parents and I'm sorry that Hope had to experience that trauma of seeing that trauma. I wish the whole family well.