Vigil Planned at State Capitol for Slain Lawmaker and Her Husband
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - A candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday evening on the steps of the State Capitol to honor a slain Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.
The Minnesota DFL Caucus says the memorial event is scheduled to take place from 8 to 9:30 p.m. A news release states the State Capitol building will be closed to the public while the vigil is underway.
At this time, a speaking program is not planned. Attendees are asked to bring their own candles and not to bring signs of any kind.
State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were gunned down inside their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday in what authorities have described as a targeted, politically motivated crime. Another state lawmaker, Senator John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times by the same gunman at their home in nearby Champlin. The Hoffmans were critically wounded but are recovering after emergency surgeries.
Court documents identify the suspected gunman as 57-year-old Vance Boelter of Green Isle. Investigators say he also visited the homes of two other state lawmakers and left behind a list of Minnesota leaders—mostly Democrats—in an SUV parked outside the Hortmans’ home. Boelter fled on foot after being confronted by police.
The incident sparked the largest manhunt in state history and ended with Boelter's capture in a rural area near his family’s home in Green Isle. He now faces multiple charges, including murder, in both state and federal court.
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