(NewsNation) — Kind, fantastic and friendly is how a former friend and classmate described Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was killed Saturday in what Gov. Tim Walz has called a “politically motivated assassination.”
“She was one of those people who, when you met her, she became a friend,” Roger Misso said on “Morning in America.” He met Hortman at Harvard University’s Kennedy School.
Hortman, a Democrat, graduated from Harvard with her master’s degree in 2018.
“She was already an elected official and went to Harvard to learn how to be a better public servant for Minnesota, so we all looked up to her,” Misso said. “She was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and she helped literally everybody.”
Hortman and her husband were killed Saturday by alleged shooter Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who police said posed as an officer at their home. Authorities said Boelter also shot Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, both of whom survived. Police captured Boelter following what authorities called the largest manhunt in Minnesota history.
“Political violence is a sickness, and it’s something that we need to stop in this country,” Misso said. “She was a fantastic person, and the fact that she is no longer with us is a tragedy beyond measure. The political violence needs to stop. It needs to stop now before we lose anymore American treasures like Melissa.”
