Mourners gathered on Saturday to honor Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota lawmaker tragically killed in a shocking act of political violence that has reverberated across the nation.
Hortman, a former Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House, and her husband, Mark, lost their lives earlier this month at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Law enforcement officials indicated that their deaths were part of a calculated series of attacks targeting numerous state Democratic officials. Tragically, the couple’s golden retriever, Gilbert, was also severely injured during the onslaught and was later euthanized.
The funeral service saw attendance from family, friends, and many high-profile Democrats, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who delivered poignant remarks.
In the lead-up to the funeral, the bodies of the Hortmans, along with Gilbert, lay in state at the Minnesota Capitol, allowing the public an opportunity to pay their last respects. Thousands queued outside to honor the couple, including Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who expressed her sorrow in a statement on Saturday, explaining her absence from the service due to a potential Senate vote on a budget bill.
Klobuchar stated, “I join the state and the country in honoring our beloved friends Melissa and Mark Hortman. In speaking with their children Sophie and Colin yesterday at the Minnesota Capitol, I know that Melissa and Mark’s legacy of goodness and service to others is in the best of hands.”
During the funeral, attendees celebrated the Hortmans’ impact on their community, with Governor Walz describing Melissa Hortman as “the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history” and the “most talented legislator” he had ever known.
He urged those present to reflect on their own political engagement, saying, “Maybe it is this a moment when each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for the things we care about.”
Walz continued, emphasizing the need to recommit to political discourse and collaboration in a way that reflects the values both Cortman and Mark embodied: “Let’s do it because of the way they lived, and the way they led.”
Amid the violence that claimed the lives of the Hortmans, the same suspect, Vance Boelter, also shot Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin, only a short distance away. Fortunately, the Hoffmans survived, though they sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Vance Boelter has been charged with stalking and murdering the Hortmans, as well as stalking and shooting the Hoffmans. He is currently held in federal custody.
In a statement released on Thursday, Boelter’s wife, Jenny, offered her condolences on behalf of her family, voicing their shock and heartbreak over the incidents. “This violence does not at all align with our beliefs as a family,” she asserted, calling it a “betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith.”
Hortman’s assassination is part of a troubling trend of violence against political figures. Just earlier this year, Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s mansion was set ablaze while his family was inside, and former President Donald Trump faced two attempts on his life during his campaign for the presidency.
Current research illuminates a significant increase in polarization among Americans, with a corresponding spike in threats against members of Congress.
In remembrance of their parents, Sophie and Colin Hortman urged their community to foster connections. “The best way to honor our parents’ memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else,” they suggested, promoting a spirit of community engagement in the wake of such tragedy.
image source from：npr
