Ten days after the
death of his brother and sister-in-law
, killed in a shooting authorities have described as politically motivated, Lee Hortman is still grappling with the loss.
“It was just a terrible thing that happened very unexpectedly. And I think the shock of it all is passed and now we have to start the grieving process,” said Lee Hortman.
Lee is the older brother of Mark Hortman, who was assassinated alongside his wife, Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman, on Saturday, June 14th, inside their home.
Mark, a
Raleigh native
who graduated from Millbrook High School and UNC Chapel Hill, maintained a strong social circle in the Triangle, decades after moving away.
“He’d like to go visit people. We’d go over to He’s Not Here in Chapel Hill, just places like that. He really liked it when he came home,” said Lee.
Mark and Lee are separated by only 18 months in age.
“Since we’re so close in age, we had a lot of the same friends. We’d run North Ridge, ride our bikes, just summers together. And we had a lot of fun as kids,” said Lee.
Mark met Melissa as the pair did charity work in Washington, D.C.
“I think it was love at first sight,” Lee relayed.
Mark and Melissa ultimately moved to Minnesota together and started a family.
“They fit together like nothing you’ve ever seen,” shared Lee.
When Melissa embarked on a political career, Mark was by her side.
“He would attend all of her gatherings, all of her political galas. He would go to all that. He was so patient and she hung the moon as far as Mark was concerned,” said Lee.
She was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2005 and served from 2019 to January of this year as Speaker of the House. Lee said despite he and Mark being on opposite ends of the political spectrum, they relished the discussion.
“I think it enhanced our relationship in that we could talk about it without fighting. We could have great debates,” said Lee.
But Lee stressed that while politics was certainly a big part of the Hortmans’ lives, their social calendar extended further.
“They liked to have poker night at their house. They liked to have friends over, go out to dinner with friends. Everybody loved them. If you took the politics away, I think they’re just like anybody else,” said Lee.
Tragically, it was politics that the authorities believed to be the
motive behind their deaths
. They suspect 57-year-old Vance Boelter of targeting lawmakers, visiting the homes of Democratic state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, as well as the Hortmans, and allegedly impersonating a police officer before firing the shots. The Hoffmans survived the attack.
Lee was visiting his dad in Florida when he received a call from Mark and Melissa’s son and learned what happened.
“Of all this, that may be the only bright spot that (my dad) didn’t have to go through all that alone,” Lee shared.
Following a manhunt,
Boelter was arrested Sunday, June 15th
, and is now facing state and federal charges.
The Hortman’s deaths, leading to a flood of tributes, including from loved ones still in the Triangle.
“Everybody loved him. Everybody thought they’re fantastic people. Not just she wasn’t just a good politician and he wasn’t just a good in business, but they were good people,” said Lee.
Melissa and Mark will lie in state at the Minnesota Capitol Rotunda on Friday, alongside their dog Gilbert, who was also killed in the shooting. There will be a private memorial service on Saturday.
“The world is a less beautiful place without them.”
