Staff Report / June 16, 2025
In a solemn tribute to Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, Governor Kathy Hochul has ordered all flags on New York State government buildings to fly at half‑staff beginning today. The proclamation honors the couple, who were killed in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14 in what authorities are investigating as a politically motivated act of violence
Tragedy unfolds in Minnesota
In the early hours of Saturday, a man impersonating a police officer gained entry into the homes of two Minnesota lawmakers. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot in Champlin and later reported to be in stable condition after emergency surgery. Roughly 90 minutes later, Representative Hortman, formerly the Speaker of the Minnesota House and a dedicated public servant, was fatally shot alongside her husband in Brooklyn Park.
The suspected shooter, identified as 57‑year‑old Vance Luther Boelter, allegedly used a latex mask and a vehicle outfitted to appear like a police SUV before fleeing the scene. A multi‑agency manhunt was swiftly launched, including FBI involvement, and Boelter was taken into custody near Green Isle, Minnesota, on June 15.
New York’s gesture of solidarity
Governor Hochul emphasized that “we should be settling our political differences in civil means like at the ballot box because violence is never the answer.” Her proclamation orders flags to remain at half‑staff “in tribute to their public service and the tragic nature of their deaths”
