The vicious tone of national politics pollutes Minnesota after shooting
"Minnesota has felt a little bit like a safe haven," said Ms Ebertz, a government employee who lives in the state capital, "because we have been able to keep our atmosphere of respecting one another here."
"This has blown that out of the water."
The death of Hortman and her husband, Mark, has sent a shockwave through the state. They were shot dead early on Saturday morning by a man disguised as a police officer.
Democratic state lawmaker John Hoffman and his wife were also injured - they are expected to survive.
But the attacks, which appear politically motivated, have badly shaken confidence in the state's reputation for politeness, courtesy and respect, an attitude that has its own nickname and Wikipedia page: "Minnesota nice".
Prosecutors say the suspect Vance Boelter also visited two other homes early Saturday searching for politicians.
The state's largest-ever manhunt ended late Sunday when Boelter was captured near his home in a rural area dotted with farms, gravel roads and small villages about an hour away from the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul.
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