Former Minnesota Vikings and University of Minnesota football player Jack Brewer spoke out following the early-morning shootings that left one state Democratic House member and her husband dead, and another Democratic senator and his wife injured.

Brewer, who played four seasons with the Golden Gophers before beginning his NFL career with the Vikings in 2002, criticized Gov. Tim Walz, accusing him of allowing Minnesota to become “the capital of chaos.”

“We need to start calling this what it is. These people have lost their minds. I am heartbroken to see one of the most amazing states in America completely turned around under Gov. Tim Walz. Minnesota is confused,” Brewer told Fox News.

“I played for the Vikings. I played for the Gophers. I lived in Minnesota for years. It was not like this. People were respectful. People could disagree and still have conversations. I still have a lot of family there, and it hurts to see what they’re living through,” he continued.

“Minnesota has become the capital of chaos in America. That’s not right. It’s not a reflection of the true people of Minnesota. There are a lot of good people there. But the liberal hub around Minneapolis and St. Paul has taken over, and it’s dangerous. Tim Walz is the leader of that. His attorney general, Keith Ellison, is right there with him,” Brewer added.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is wanted in the shootings, two sources familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Boelter earned his Ph.D. in leadership for learning and service advancement from Cardinal Stritch University and was appointed to the state’s Workforce Development Board by two governors of Minnesota, according to Fox 9.

He was initially appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2016 and reappointed by Walz in 2019 as a private sector representative to the council. Boelter’s term expired in 2023.

“I’ve activated the State Emergency Operations Center,” Walz wrote on X in the immediate aftermath of the shootings. “Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the State of Minnesota behind them. We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon.”

“Our state lost a great leader,” Walz said at a press briefing Saturday morning. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service.”

“This was an act of targeted political violence,” Walz added. “Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle their differences with violence or at gunpoint in the state of Minnesota.”

Boelter allegedly impersonated a police officer when he entered the Champlin home of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife early Saturday, shooting and seriously injuring both. He then reportedly went to the home of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, where he is accused of fatally shooting her and her husband.

Speaking to reporters Saturday, Walz described the attack as a “politically motivated assassination,” but did not disclose that the suspect had previously been appointed by his administration.

Brewer, reacting to the incident, blamed the violence on Democratic leadership and Walz’s governance, calling for what he described as a “return to masculinity.”

“On this Father’s Day, I wish Minnesota would focus on restoring fatherhood — protecting women, protecting families. Tim Walz is the example of a weak, emasculated leader. That is not what God made fathers to be. It’s pathetic,” Brewer said.

“It’s terrible. The root cause of all of this is evil. When you’re willing to attack, ridicule, riot and protest anyone who believes something different — even in your own party — you’ve gone too far. The Democrats have gone so far left that if you’re not a raging liberal, you’re under attack. They are forcing everyone in the party to conform,” he said.

Brewer added: “Whenever you give Satan power, he shows his face. That’s what we’re witnessing now.”