Hundreds gather at State Capitol vigil to honor Melissa and Mark Hortman

Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, attended 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.

Hundreds gathered on the steps of the State Capitol in St. Paul to pay their respects to the Hortmans. An estimated 1,500 people were in attendance, spread across the upper lawn and steps. Several brought their golden retrievers, in honor of the Hortmans’ love of dogs.

The Hortman family and politicians such as Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter were present Wednesday at the event.

The vigil was scheduled from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

A Minnesota man has been charged with the killings of the Hortmans, as well as 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.”

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This article is our live coverage from the evening of June 18.

10:02 p.m. - Erica Crazy Hawk, 42, of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, was invited to sing alongside the Red Lake Nation Drum Group and other Native American musicians to perform a Mukwa song of healing.

“I came to lift those prayers up there asking God to bless and protect the people now,” she said.

“Mukwa,” the bear, is a symbol of medicine and healing in the community, said Mike Forcia, 62, who is Anishinaabe.

“We wanted to sing her an honor song, a traveling song, to send her off in a good way, for all she did for our nation and for all native people, standing up for us, our sovereignty, and our treaty rights,” Strong said. “She would not only just work on our behalf, but she would be a part of our community. She came and participated in our community and our culture and our ceremonies, and she was very empowering.”

Annie Clarkin, 30, of Minneapolis, had not really been aware of Hortman before her death but said she was impressed as she learned of Hortman’s record. Clarkin attended the “No Kings” protest last week in St. Paul and returned for the vigil Wednesday with her service dog, Ruth.

“I’m really grateful for the work she’s done,” Clarkin said about Melissa Hortman. “I think she has a legacy that deserves to be honored.”

Ezra Jackson-Smith, 29, came with Andrew Hjermstad, 32, both of Minneapolis, and their dog Watson, a 10-year-old golden retriever and retired service dog. “It’s a really shocking moment to be in,” Jackson-Smith said.

As people trickled out of the vigil, Hjermstad said he saw the mood getting lighter.

9:44 p.m. - The event seemed to be coming to a close as people left candles at the memorial and began to depart.

“Like everybody else, we were always in her office, asking her for something,” St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said of Melissa Hortman. “She would always tell you if she could do it, if she couldn’t. … She was just a constant presence, and like everybody else, we’ll miss her like crazy.”

9:22 p.m. - The Hortman family, including Melissa and Mark’s children, was seen at the event.

There were also several politicians in attendance, such as Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom.

Edwin and Ricardo Torres DeSantiago, 32 and 33, both of Minnetonka, were among the attendees wearing black buttons with the letters “LFG” in white with the initials “MH” in a red heart. When the DFL won a trifecta in 2022 to control the Minnesota government, Melissa Hortman exclaimed, “Let’s [expletive] go!” explained Edwin Torres DeSantiago, who works in DFL campaigns.

9:08 p.m. - Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, were spotted in the crowd at the vigil.

Rev. Vicki Lambert, 60, of Red Wing, attended the vigil to pass out candles with Isaiah, a nonpartisan coalition of faith groups that works on economic and racial justice issues in Minnesota.

“Public service is about improving people’s lives, and few did it better than Melissa, and both [Melissa and Mark] were remarkable humans that deserve to be respected and loved,” Lambert said.

8:42 p.m. - Kate Black, 33, of St. Paul, volunteered at a “No Kings” protest last week. When a fellow marshal sent her an email asking if she could help at the vigil, she agreed.

“It feels like a time when we’re all feeling a lot and going through a lot, but this is a positive community space, and I felt that volunteering as a marshal was a small way that I could help out and help tonight’s event be nice, calm and respectful,” Black said.

Miranda Corwin, of Brooklyn Park, knew the Hortmans as a neighbor. She remembered meeting Melissa Hortman several times at local parades and city council meetings.

“I feel one way for closure is to come to the memorial,” Corwin said.

Elliot Peck, of St. Paul, wanted to be part of showing big numbers at the vigil. “I wanted to make a specific stand against political violence,” Peck said. “One person thinks they can go out and do it against the will of the people who put someone in office.”

As people lit candles, many held large, scented candles they brought from home. The air smelled like floral perfume.

8:24 p.m. - Tom Ett, 58, of St. Paul, heard about the event through his affiliation with the ACLU and signed up as a greeter. He brought Georgia, a trained therapy dog, with him.

Charlaine Tolkien, 79, and Jerry Gale, 73, of Brooklyn Park, were neighbors with the Hortmans and worked on Melissa Hortman’s campaign. They remembered her as a politician and a neighbor — something they wondered if they’ll find again.

“When she wasn’t at the Capitol, she was like your good, friendly next-door neighbor, and you could just kind of talk about anything,” Gale said.

Music played as the plaza above the memorial and below the Capitol stairs filled up.

8:06 p.m. - A crowd of about 1,000 has gathered at the Capitol building. The tone of the event is somber with several people in tears and laying flowers at the memorial. Many are dressed in shirts memorializing the Hortmans.

Joann Ellis, 69, and Carol Deshler, 69, both of St. Paul, were two of many volunteers in attendance from Moms Demand Action, a national gun safety advocacy group. Deshler remembered Hortman as a “wonderful lady” and a strong advocate for gun safety.

Ellis recalled that when the group would gather in the Capitol’s rotunda to advocate for gun safety, Hortman was always one of the legislators who would come down and meet with advocates.

“It’s just so sad that she fought for Minnesota to be safe in regards to guns, and then that’s how she dies at the hands of a man with a gun who probably should have never had a gun in the first place,“ Ellis said.

7:52 p.m. - The Capitol building will be closed to the public during the vigil. The event will not have a speaking program. However, Gov. Tim Walz is expected to attend the vigil. Attendees were asked to bring their own candles.