Mourners paid their respects to Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark Hortman and their family dog in a special way.
On Friday, June 27, the Hortmans and their dog Gilbert laid in state in the Minnesota State Capitol rotunda following their deaths on June 14. The occurrence marked the first time that a woman and an animal have lied in state at the Capitol in Minnesota history.
Photos from the formal occasion show two wooden caskets positioned beside each other, with a framed picture of the couple between them. A golden urn decorated with paw prints for Gilbert was perched on a high table in the middle of the caskets, alongside a photo of the pooch and a bouquet of flowers.
In a poignant gesture, members of the public brought their dogs to the Capitol as they paid their respects. Among the pooches, there has been a service dog, as well as other golden retrievers like Gilbert.
Melissa, Mark and their dog were fatally shot at their home in Stillwater, Minn., on June 14. The alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder on June 15 after a statewide manhunt, The Associated Press reported.
Boelter, 57, is also accused of shooting Democrat Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, who both survived the incident, at their home nine miles away.
Melissa brought home Gilbert from the nonprofit Helping Paws in 2021, per The New York Times. The organization provides service dogs to people with disabilities, including veterans and emergency personnel.
According to the outlet, Melissa and her family first connected with the nonprofit through her daughter Sophie as she helped train a service dog for a family in her senior year of high school.
Gilbert was euthanized after getting shot during the attack, family friend and the wife of Minnesota State Rep. Josiah Hill, Emily Hill, told PEOPLE. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just awful. [Melissa] loved dogs and volunteered with dog rescues,鈥 she said.
Hill recalled that Melissa was 鈥渟mart and dedicated鈥 as a wife and mother of two adult children, Sophie, 28, and Colin, 30. She added, 鈥淚t’s just so tragic that her life was cut short because she’s in the prime of her leadership.鈥
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In a statement obtained by PEOPLE on June 16, Sophie and Colin said, 鈥淚f you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following: Plant a tree. Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail. Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do.鈥