A somber Gov. Tim Walz spoke about the work and legacy of State Rep. Melissa Hortman, who authorities said was assassinated at her home Saturday morning.
Police said the suspect targeted her, another Democratic state legislator and their spouses.
“Our state lost a dear leader and I lost the dearest of friends,” Walz told reporters at a news conference.
Hortman, the former Minnesota House speaker, and her husband Mark were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park around 3:35 a.m. by a suspect who was impersonating a police officer, investigators said.
The shooting took place nearly 90 minutes after the same suspect shot and wounded State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in their Champlin home, according to police.
The suspect, identified as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, fled on foot after engaging in a firefight with officers outside Hortman’s home, officials said. The suspect also had a list of other targets, they noted.
Bob Jacobson, the state’s commissioner of public safety, said Saturday was a “dark day.”
“We will not allow fear or violence to define who we are or how we move forward,” he said.
Walz described Hortman as someone who served the state with “great compassion, grace, humor and a sense of service.”
“She was a formidable public servant. A fixture and giant in Minnesota. She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place,” he told reporters.
The governor further condemned the attack in a statement.
“We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint. We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate,” he wrote. “We must stand united against all forms of violence — and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment.”
The governor ordered state flags to be flown at half mast in honor of Hortman.
Other leaders from the state and beyond offered similar condolences throughout the morning.
President Donald Trump also issued a statement Saturday morning condemning the violence.
“Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place,” he said.
The White House said in a statement that the FBI and the Attorney General’s office will be investigating and “will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law.”
Former President Joe Biden spoke out against the attack in an X post.
“This heinous attack motivated by politics should never happen in America,” he said. “We must give hate and extremism no safe harbor and we must all unite against political violence as a nation.”
Democratic National Committee Ken Martin, former Minnesota Democratic party chair and friend of both victims, said in a statement that “like so many Minnesotans, my heart is broken.”
“Melissa, Mark, John, and Yvette — these are not just names, and this is not just politics. These are people. They’re longtime friends to me and Jenn and so many others in Minnesota. They have children, loved ones, neighbors, and friends,” Martin wrote.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose California home was invaded by man who assaulted her husband with a hammer in 2022, said she was “heartbroken” over the situation.
“Unfortunately, we know the tragedy of when political violence hits home very well. All of us must remember that it’s not only the act of violence, but also the reaction to it, that can normalize it. This climate of politically-motivated violence must end,” she said in a statement.
Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived getting shot in the head in a 2011 assassination attempt and mass shooting in Tucson, posted a photo of herself with Hortman on X and said she was “devastated” to hear about the shooting.
“Melissa was a true public servant who dedicated her life building a better, safer Minnesota. This is a profound loss for all who loved Melissa and Mark, and for our nation,” she wrote. “There will be more to say, but this much is clear: we must protect our democracy from those who try to destroy it with a gun.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson issued a statement denouncing the attack.
“Such horrific political violence has no place in our society, and every leader must unequivocally condemn it,” he said.
The entire Congressional Minnesota delegation, both Democrats and Republicans, released a joint statement Saturday afternoon condemning the attack.
“Today we speak with one voice to express our outrage, grief, and condemnation of this horrible attack on public servants. There is no place in our democracy for politically-motivated violence,” the delegation said.
“We are praying for John and Yvette’s recovery and we grieve the loss of Melissa and Mark with their family, colleagues, and Minnesotans across the state,” they added.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in an earlier statement that she was “devastated” by the shooting, noting her friendship with Hortman.
“She was a true public servant to the core, dedicating her life to serving Minnesotans with integrity and compassion,” Klobuchar wrote. “As Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, she led efforts to protect women’s rights, invest in clean energy, and secure free school lunch for kids. She was beloved by her colleagues.”
Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, also responded to the shooting in an X post, decrying the political violence and said Hortman was “smart and funny and so dedicated to making Minnesota work better for all of us.”
In an X post, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar remembered Hortman as “a dear friend who showed me how to lead with passion and integrity.”
“Whatever our differences, no one deserves this,” she wrote. “Violence has no place in our communities.”
Richard Carlbom, chairperson of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, said in a statement that Hortman “represented the best of Minnesota.”
Walz, Smith and Omar were among dozens of Minnesota Democrats on a target list written by the suspected gunman, law enforcement sources said on Saturday.
ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd, Averi Harper, Lauren Peller, Isabella Murray, Emily Chang and Selina Wang contributed to this report.
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