Former President Biden joins mourners as Melissa Hortman lies in state
The big picture: The influential Democratic legislator, who was shot and killed alongside her husband at her home in what officials have called a politically motivated assassination, was the first woman to lie in state in Minnesota.
Prosecutors say the attacks, which also left another state senator and his wife injured, were part of a broader plot by alleged gunman Vance Boelter to harm Democratic lawmakers.
Zoom in: The line outside the State Capitol stretched the length of the Capitol lawn and around the block Friday afternoon, with hundreds waiting to enter at any given time.
Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen, who grew close to the Hortmans over his last six years in office, were among the first to attend the public viewing hours.
Many visitors, including legislators from both parties, appeared overcome with emotion as they approached the wooden caskets adorned with flowers in the center of the Rotunda.
An urn containing the remains of the Hortmans' golden retriever Gilbert, who was gravely injured in the attack and later euthanized, sat between the couple.
Inside the room: Some mourners dressed in tribute to the longtime Democratic House Leader, wearing pins or shirts featuring her "LFG" — "Let's f***cking go — political rallying cry.
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