ST. PAUL, Minn. — Thousands of mourners — including former President Joe Biden, state leaders of both parties and ordinary Minnesotans — streamed through the state Capitol to pay respects to former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as they lay in state Friday.

The Hortmans were slain on June 14 at their home in Brooklyn Park in an attack believed to be politically motivated.

Their caskets and an urn containing the remains of their dog, Gilbert, who was euthanized after also being shot, rested in the center of the Capitol rotunda. First responders in dress uniform stood watch.

The Hortmans were among four shot by a suspected assassin now facing federal and state murder charges. Vance Boelter, 57, is also accused of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman, a fellow Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. Both survived the attack at their Champlin home. Prosecutors allege Boelter visited the homes of two other state lawmakers he had planned to shoot.

Hortman’s family members were the first to arrive at the Capitol on Friday. Around noon, Democratic-Farmer Labor Gov. Tim Walz, Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Senate DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy also paid their respects as the visitation began at noon.

Biden, a Catholic, visited later in the afternoon, walking up to the velvet rope in front of the caskets, making the sign of the cross, and spending a few moments by himself in silence. He then took a knee briefly, got up, made the sign of the cross again, and walked off to greet people waiting in the wings of the rotunda.

He and former Vice President Kamala Harris, Walz’s running mate on the 2024 presidential ticket, are expected to attend the Hortmans’ private funeral at the Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the Associated Press reported. Neither is expected to speak. The service will be livestreamed on the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s YouTube channel.

A line of hundreds extended out of the first floor of the Capitol and down the mall before curving along Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Among them were state lawmakers of both parties. The Minnesota State Patrol estimated that thousands of people attended the Capitol ceremony, which continued well beyond its scheduled 5 p.m. conclusion.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith also visited the Capitol and met with the Hortmans’ two adult children on Friday morning.

“Through their grief, Sophie and Colin were strong and determined to make sure everyone carries on their parents’ legacy of public service and goodness,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “Seeing the caskets in the rotunda was heartbreaking, but remembering all they did for the world is what we must do.”

Klobuchar returned to Washington on Friday afternoon, as Senate Republicans may call a vote on a major budget package advanced by President Donald Trump, who previously refused to call Walz to offer the nation’s condolences. Klobuchar husband, John Bessler, will attend the Hortmans’ funeral, according to a spokesperson.

Melissa Hortman is the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol. It was the first time a couple has lain in state at the Capitol, and the first time for a dog.

Before the Hortmans, 19 people had been accorded the honor. The first was Civil War veteran William Colvill in 1905. U.S. senators, eight governors and four state legislators have also had the honor.

Gov. Floyd B. Olson, U.S. Sen. Frank B. Kellogg and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey are among those who rested in the state Capitol. Former Gov. Al Quie was the last person to lie in state, in 2023.

It wasn’t just lawmakers, lobbyists and family who lined up to see the Hortmans lie in state.

Chris Katke, a high school and college basketball official, who taught exercise science at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, said she’s concerned about rising political violence.

“We have to do a better job of communicating and talking with one another to solve our differences,” said Katke, who votes but is not deeply involved in politics.“ You have to learn to compromise, and I think that she was a phenomenal negotiator.”

Dave Woosley, a software engineer who lives south of Hastings, drove about an hour to wait in line and pay his respects. He said he’s not currently involved in politics, but was involved with former Gov. Jesse Ventura’s Reform Party many years ago.

“I wanted to show my fellow citizens that we need to come together during tragedies, and also to support not only Mrs. Hortman, but this institution as well,” he said. “There is a very loud division in this country, and people on the fringes are feeling empowered.”

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