Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota commended the family of John A. Hoffman, saying their actions during a gunman’s attack on Saturday saved “countless lives.”

Early Saturday morning, when a man dressed like a police officer knocked at the home of a Minnesota state legislator, marked the start of nearly 40 hours of violence and fear that swept through towns in an arc around Minneapolis.

Chaos struck Minnesota over the weekend when a targeted shooting spree left two state lawmakers and their spouses dead or injured, and a community reeling in shock.Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed,

Daylight was still two hours off when Brooklyn Park police approached the home of former Minnesota Speaker Melissa Hortman to find someone had beat them there.

Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman lived in West Des Moines for nearly a decade and is credited with forming an active Democratic Party there.