Family Dog Gilbert Was Also Killed in Attack That Took Lives of Minn. Lawmaker and Her Husband, Friend Says

Late Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman’s family dog was also shot and killed during Saturday’s assassination at the family’s home in Stillwater, Minn., PEOPLE has learned.

Emily Hill, a family friend and the wife of Minnesota State Rep. Josiah Hill, who worked with Hortman, told PEOPLE that the tragedy has been “just awful” for the family and their local community. The news that the Hortman’s golden retriever Gilbert also needed to be euthanized after getting shot during the attack just makes things worse, she said during an interview over the phone this weekend.

“It’s just awful,” Hill said. “[Melissa] loved dogs and volunteered with dog rescues.”

Helping Paws, a local nonprofit in Eden Prairie, Minn., shared a photo on social media showing state Rep. Hortman sitting next to Gilbert on a doctor’s office bench while explaining the lawmaker’s role with the organization.

“Melissa served her community in more ways than one,” the nonprofit wrote on social media. “She was a Helping Paws Foster Home Trainer, a neighbor, and a friend. The Hortman family raised and trained Minnie, who is now a working service dog partnered with a veteran. They also helped raise and train Gilbert, a service dog in training who [eventually had a career change] and became a cherished member of their family.”

Hill shared that colleagues told her husband Josiah that Gilbert needed to be put down after being injured in the shooting early Saturday.

Related Stories

What to Know About the 2 Minnesota Political Couples Shot in ‘Targeted’ Attacks by Suspect Pretending to Be a Cop

Suspect Vance Boelter Caught, Charged with Second-Degree Murder in Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings

The alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder on Sunday following a statewide manhunt, according to The Associated Press. Police allege that in addition to killing state Rep. Hortman and her husband Mark, the 57-year-old Boelter also shot Sen. John Hoffman — a Democrat like Hortman — along with his wife Yvette Hoffman at their home roughly nine miles away. The Hoffmans survived.

Boelter allegedly impersonated a law enforcement officer during the shootings, going to the lawmakers’ homes in an act that was characterized as political violence by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, PEOPLE previously reported.

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota,” Walz said in the press conference late Sunday after Boelter was taken into custody. “This cannot be the norm. This cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Related Stories

Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman Killed Alongside Husband, State Sen. John Hoffman and Wife Shot: Read the Full Recap

Audio of Emergency Dispatch Calls Reveals Harrowing New Details About Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings

Hill told PEOPLE that Hortman “didn’t have an ego” and “understood the bigger picture” as a leader. And as a person outside the office, Hill said she was “smart and dedicated” as a wife and mother of two children, Sophia and Colin.

“She was just very real,” Hill said, adding, “It’s just so tragic that her life was cut short because she’s in the prime of her leadership.”