Gunman Also Shot Lawmaker's Dog: Report

The man arrested in the murders of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the attempted murders of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, may not have only targeted people. Vance Boelter also shot the Hortmans' beloved rescue dog, Democratic National Committee chair and Minnesota native Ken Martin tells the Daily Beast. "The cruelty knows no bounds," says Martin, a longtime friend of the Hortmans. Writing on X, Erin Koegel, a Democratic member of the Minnesota House, says the Hortmans' adult children had to euthanize the golden retriever named Gilbert, whom Melissa had trained as a service dog, "after learning their parents had been murdered."

Local dog shelter Helping Paws said Hortman was a foster home trainer who raised and trained a working service dog partnered with a veteran. The family "also helped raise and train Gilbert, a service dog in training who was eventually career changed and became a cherished member of their family," the shelter said, adding it did not have "confirmed information about Gilbert's condition." The shelter shared a 2022 photo of Hortman with her arm around Gilbert, per the AP. "You look at her pictures and you know what she was about," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar. "She was a true leader and loved her work, but was always so grounded and such a decent person." (More Minnesota stories.)