Fireworks were allegedly aimed at the Champlin home of state Sen. John Hoffman over the Fourth of July weekend, and prosecutors are now weighing possible charges while a Minnesota State Trooper keeps watch outside the property. The late-night disturbance, caught on the family’s doorbell camera, has been turned over to the county attorney for review, according to law-enforcement sources. Representatives for the Hoffmans declined to comment through a spokesman, and the incident lands less than a year after a deadly attack at the same home left the couple badly wounded.
According to KSTP, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office confirmed that a report has reached their desk and said the matter is "in the pipeline for review." Champlin police did not confirm that an incident took place and told the station that any public report, if available, could take seven to ten days to be released. A spokesman for the county attorney’s office told KSTP that a charging decision could come this week, while also cautioning that the review could take longer.
Last year’s ambush in Champlin left Sen. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, seriously wounded, and state prosecutors have said they plan to bring state-level charges connected to that earlier attack. In June, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced it would move forward with state charges related to the June 14, 2025, crimes, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Sources told KSTP that the Hoffmans’ doorbell camera recorded the fireworks incident, including voices of a suspect or suspects yelling at the family. The same camera previously captured images of the gunman who shot the Hoffmans in last year’s attack, those sources said. Through a spokesman, the Hoffmans again declined to comment on the latest episode.
Investigation and Possible Charges
Investigators are combing through digital footage and witness accounts to determine whether any state laws were broken and if criminal charges should be filed. Prosecutors typically wait for a full file, including forensic analysis and complete witness statements, before making a call on charges. That process can run from several days to several weeks, depending on how complicated the evidence and interviews turn out to be.
Why It Matters
The new report has stirred fresh concern in Champlin about threats to public officials and the basic safety of neighborhoods, especially given the 2025 attacks that already rattled the community. When federal prosecutors announced a guilty plea in June for the suspected attacker in those earlier shootings, the U.S. Attorney’s Office at the Department of Justice described the crimes as a coordinated campaign that put multiple families in "reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury."
What To Expect Next
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office will continue its review of the most recent report and decide whether to pursue state charges, a timeline that could stretch beyond this week depending on what the evidence shows and how quickly witnesses can be interviewed. In the meantime, Champlin police and state troopers plan to maintain a visible security presence near the Hoffman home while investigators scrutinize the doorbell footage and chase down additional leads.
