Family, friends, leaders pay final respects to slain Minnesota legislator and husband

Tens of thousands of mourners packed a Minneapolis basilica Saturday to pay their final respects to Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark who were killed in their home two weeks ago in an alleged politically motivated shooting.

A who’s who of leaders from around the country, including former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, attended the Catholic Mass where many of the couple’s friends, colleagues and family reflected on their years of service and friendship.

The couple and their dog Gilbert were shot in their home during the early morning hours of June 14, by a gunman who investigators say was targeting Democratic lawmakers. The suspect had shot and injured state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, a few hours earlier at their home.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz led the eulogies and honored Melissa Hortman for her years of work in the state House, calling her “the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.”

“I know millions of Minnesotans have lived their lives better because of Melissa and Mark,” he said.

Melissa Hortman was elected to state office in 2004 and rose through the ranks, becoming minority leader in 2017 and then speaker of the House two years later.

“She saw the humanity in every single person she worked with,” Walz said. “Her mission was to get as much good done for as many people as possible.”

Hortman and her husband were married for 31 years. Mark Hortman worked as a program manager for nVent Electric, a company that specialized in electronics, particularly green electronics, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn pages. The couple had two children, Sophie and Colin.

Walz talked about the couple’s warmth and dedication to their children and dog.

“You are amazing reflections of Mark and Melissa,” he said to their children.

A day before the funeral, the Hortmans lay in state as thousands of Minnesotans visited to pay their respects. Melissa Hortman is the first woman in Minnesota history to lie in state, according to the state House of Representatives.

Next to the Hortmans was their dog Gilbert, who was wounded in the attack and later had to be euthanized, officials said.

Vance Boelter was arrested a day after the murder and charged in their deaths along with the shootings of Hoffman and his wife earlier in the night.

The Hoffmans survived the shooting and are recuperating.

Biden visited the state senator and his wife in the hospital Friday and met with their daughter, a representative for Hoffman told ABC News.

“John’s condition continues to improve. He is alert, he’s been up walking around and is able to eat. He’s also giving the State Troopers guarding him some grief,” Yvette Hoffman said, according to the representative.

The suspect allegedly showed up to the legislators’ homes, impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking latex mask to carry out his “political assassinations,” prosecutors said.

Investigators recovered a list of about 45 elected officials in notebooks in his car, according to prosecutors.

Walz on Saturday noted the growing political violence and tension in the country, urging Americans to “examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for the things we care about.”

“But let’s not do it because of the way Mark and Melissa died. Let’s do it because of the way they lived, and the way they led,” he said.

ABC News’ Emily Shapiro and Mark Guarino contributed to this report.