Hundreds Remember Slain MN Rep, Husband06/20 06:05

   

   ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Hundreds of people, some clutching candles or 
carrying flowers to lay in front of a memorial, gathered outside Minnesota's 
Capitol on Wednesday evening for a vigil to remember a prominent state lawmaker 
and her husband who were gunned down at their home.

   As a brass quintet from the Minnesota Orchestra played, Gov. Tim Walz wiped 
away tears and comforted attendees at the gathering for former House Speaker 
Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed early Saturday in the 
northern Minneapolis suburbs.

   Colin Hortman, the Hortmans' son, embraced Walz and lay a photo of his 
parents on the memorial.

   The memorial, which sprang up outside the Capitol after the killings, 
features flowers, American flags, photos and sticky notes with such messages 
as, "Thank you for always believing in me and in Minnesota" and "We got this 
from here. Thank you for everything."

   Wednesday's vigil also included a Native American drum circle, a string 
quartet and the crowd singing "Amazing Grace."

   Around the gathering, there was a heavy police presence, with law 
enforcement blocking off streets leading up to the Capitol and state troopers 
standing guard.

   The event didn't include a speaking program and attendees were instructed 
not to bring signs of any kind.

   The man charged in federal and state court with killing the Hortmans, Vance 
Boelter, is also accused of shooting another Democratic lawmaker, Sen. John 
Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home a few miles away in Champlin. They 
survived and are recovering. Federal prosecutors have declined to speculate 
about a motive.

   Boelter's attorneys have declined to comment on the charges.

   Hortman had served as the top House Democratic leader since 2017, and six 
years as speaker, starting in 2019. Under a power-sharing deal after the 2024 
election left the House tied, her title became speaker emerita and Republican 
Rep. Lisa Demuth became speaker.

   Walz has described Hortman as his closest political ally and "the most 
consequential Speaker in state history."

   The Hortmans were alumni of the University of Minnesota, which held a midday 
memorial gathering on the Minneapolis campus.

   Rebecca Cunningham, the university's president, spoke during the event about 
the grief and outrage people are grappling with along with questions about how 
things got to this point.

   "I don't have the answers to these questions but I know that finding answers 
starts with the coming together in community as we are today," she said.

   Funeral information for the Hortmans has not been announced.