US President Donald Trump has said he did not plan to call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2024, after a weekend shooting left one of the state's Democratic politicians dead and another injured.
Mr Trump, a Republican, issued a statement after Saturday's shooting saying such "horrific violence" would not be tolerated in the United States.
But he has declined to offer conciliatory words to Mr Walz as he presides over the response in his state.
Mr Walz was Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris's running mate last year.
"I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I'm not calling him. Why would I call him?" Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One on the way back from a trip to Canada for a meeting of G7 leaders.
"The guy doesn't have a clue. He's a mess. So I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?"
Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, were shot dead in their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on Saturday.
Another Democrat, Senator John Hoffman was shot and wounded along with his wife Yvette, in their home in Champlin.
The suspect drove to the homes of at least four state politicians as part of a planned killing spree, federal authorities said yesterday.
Vance Boelter, 57, faces state and federal murder charges after he was arrested on Sunday night following a massive two-day manhunt that was the largest in state history.
The Minnesota attacks began around 2am local time on Saturday, when a gunman wearing a police-style tactical vest and a "hyper realistic silicone mask" knocked on the Hoffmans' door in Champlin, announced himself as a police officer and then shot the couple multiple times, according to prosecutors.
He then travelled to the home of another state politician in Maple Grove, where he rang the doorbell at 2.24am. The official, whom prosecutors did not name, was not home.
Mr Boelter also visited the home of a state senator in New Hope, prosecutors said. A officer dispatched to the house to conduct a wellness check after police learned of the Hoffman shooting believed Mr Boelter, who was parked outside, was another police officer and pulled up next to him.
The responding officer went to the door to wait for additional officers, and the suspect had left by the time theyarrived, prosecutors said.
Shortly after, police went to the Hortmans' house in Brooklyn Park as a precaution. The arriving officers saw the suspect shoot Mark Hortman through an open door around 3.35am and exchanged fire with him before he fled on foot out the backdoor, according to prosecutors.
Melissa Hortman was already dead inside.
