LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The murder of a Minnesota political leader over the weekend sent shockwaves across the country, but elected officials were paying especially close attention.
The killings of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark — and the shooting of another state official and his wife — by a gunman who posed as a police officer is just the latest example of political violence stretching back decades in America.
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Four U.S. presidents have been shot and killed in office, and three others have been shot and survived, including President Donald Trump in July 2024.
Other political leaders — including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy — have been murdered, as well as civil rights icons such as Medgar Evers.
More recently, a man broke into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and wounded her husband. A group of men planned to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The governor's mansion in Pennsylvania was set ablaze with Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family inside.
But the Minnesota murders stood out among all those cases.
"I was in disbelief," said Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts, R-Clark County. "Also, of course, it made me stop and think, because being an elected official, could that have happened here? It could, not that it would, but it could."
Political violence in Nevada has been relatively rare, despite the fact that Nevada's citizen lawmakers live and work in their districts, and encounter constituents all the time when shopping or dining.
That can sometimes lead to confrontations, as Gov. Steve Sisolak found out when visiting a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas in February 2022. Sisolak was accosted by a man hurling profanities, racial slurs directed at the governor's wife and anti-government slogans.
Sisolak later asked that the man not be prosecuted for the incident. That man later ended up committing suicide.
The most high-profile instance of a state lawmaker being targeted came in 2013, when then-Assemblyman Steven Brooks, D-Clark County, allegedly threatened then-Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-Clark County.
Brooks claimed Kirkpatrick had reneged on a promise to make him the chairman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, a post that usually goes to a senior, experienced lawmaker. Brooks was only in his second term at the time.
Brooks was arrested in North Las Vegas, and found to be in possession of a .357-caliber Magnum handgun and ammunition. When the 2013 legislative session began, Brooks was shadowed by two Legislative Police officers wherever he went in the building in Carson City.
Ultimately, Brooks became the only person ever to be expelled from the Nevada Legislature in state history. He was later that same day arrested after a car chase in California, served time in jail in that state before returning to Nevada.
He was arrested again in 2021 on charges of firearms possession, since he was not allowed to own a gun.
He was arrested again in July 2024, after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase and threatening officers.
Hibbetts — a former Metro Police officer — said he doesn't fear for his own safety, even when he's recognized by constituents in the community. But he says that any lawmaker who does fear violence can turn to the Legislative Police or the Metro Police department.
Both agencies reached out to local lawmakers offering aid and suggestions for safety following the violence in Minnesota over the weekend. The Legislative Counsel Bureau returned an emailed request for information from Channel 13, saying officials don't comment on security or protective measures.
"I don't know if worry is quite the right word," Hibbetts said of his state of mind after the Minnesota violence. "I'm conscious of it. I'm certainly — and it may just be my background — but when I walk into a building, I notice where exits are, I notice who's there, I notice if people are paying attention to what I'm doing."
But he added that the ability to have access to elected officials — and to speak with them about the issues — is one of the great things about Nevada's citizen legislature.
That access, however, along with the democratic process of making laws, is the proper way for people to express their political feelings, he said.
"There is never a reason for political violence," Hibbetts said. "We can disagree all day long. I disagree with my colleagues on the left. They disagree with me. We have very spirited discussions, but there's never violence. And there should never be violence against your elected officials. If you don't like the job your elected official is doing, un-elect them. If you think you can do a better job, do it."
Hibbetts also offered some tips for everyone to avoid harm:
- If someone comes to your door claiming to be a police officer, check to see if they're wearing the proper uniform and displaying a real badge. If you have doubts, call 911 and verify the officer's identity.
- Always be aware of your surroundings, including the exits of any building you enter. Don't walk around with your attention focused on your cell phone.
- Don't post your plans on social media. Post about events you attended after they're over, not before or during the event, which may reveal your location or the fact that you're not at home.
