Gov. Tim Walz is expected to attend a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening honoring state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed in what officials have called a targeted act of political violence.
The vigil is scheduled from 8 to 9:30 p.m. on the steps of the State Capitol in St. Paul. Anyone attending is asked to bring their own candles. Organizers also asked attendees to avoid bringing any signs.
A Minnesota man has been charged with the killings of the Hortmans, as well shooting state Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette. Vance Boelter, 57, was captured after an extensive manhunt that stretched from early Saturday to late Sunday.
Walz honored Rep. Hortman, who served as speaker of the Minnesota House, as the “most consequential” in state history.
“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota. Melissa Hortman was the core of who our values were,” Walz said at a news conference shortly after Boelter was apprehended. “We’ll take solace in the memory and the work that Melissa did.”
