Minnesota State Senator Melissa Hortman, a Boston University Alum, Shot and Killed Along with Her Husband

Minnesota State Senator Melissa Hortman, a Boston University Alum, Shot and Killed Along with Her Husband

She is remembered for her "grace and compassion." BU president says the University community grieves the loss of a "beloved and respected public servant."

Melissa Hortman, a leading Democrat in the Minnesota House of Representatives and an alumna of Boston University, was fatally shot along with her husband in their home early on Saturday. Hortman is being remembered this weekend as a "shining light," a trailblazing public servant, and "a great leader."

Hortman (CAS'91), who, with her husband, Mark Hortman, leaves behind two children, was a 1991 graduate of BU's College of Arts & Sciences, with a bachelor of arts in philosophy and political science. BU President Melissa Gilliam expressed her shock and sorrow at the news, and expressed her sympathy in a public statement: "The entire Boston University community grieves the loss of one of our cherished alumnae, Melissa Hortman, who was a beloved and respected public servant. We send deep condolences to her family, her friends, and to the people of Minnesota on this tragic and saddest of days," Gilliam said.

After graduating from BU, Hortman worked in the offices of then-Tennessee Senator Al Gore in the early 1990s and later of Massachusetts Senator John Kerry (Hon.'05), according to her campaign biography. She earned graduate degrees from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the University of Minnesota Law School.

As a political leader, she fought for stricter gun control and often attended events with gun control advocates, and she was a fierce abortion rights proponent. And in 2020, after the George Floyd protests, Hortman spearheaded police reform efforts. Beyond her political work, she was a private attorney who volunteered for her local school board and at her local Catholic church.

A manhunt continued Sunday morning for the gunman, who, while dressed as a police officer, shot the Hortmans in their home. He also shot another state senator, John Hoffman, and his wife, at their home. They both survived the assassin's attack. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz described both shootings as acts of political violence, and authorities have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter and said that he left a list of politicians at the scene. After a shootout with police, the gunman was able to flee, prompting a statewide manhunt.

"Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service," Walz said on Saturday as the tragedy was still unfolding. "She was a formidable public servant, a fixture and a giant in Minnesota. She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place."

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