Melissa Hortman, slain Minnesota lawmaker, attended Boston University and Harvard
A massive manhunt is underway in Minnesota for 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, who police say shot and killed Hortman and her husband Mark. Boelter allegedly also shot Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette about five miles away. Hoffman and his wife were both injured and subsequently underwent surgery.
Melissa Hortman's Boston ties
Boston University confirmed that Hortman graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences in 1991 with a bachelor of arts in philosophy and political cience.
University president Melissa Gilliam said in a statement to BU Today that the campus community is in shock.
"The entire Boston University community grieves the loss of one of our cherished alumnae, Melissa Hortman, who was a beloved and respected public servant. We send deep condolences to her family, her friends, and to the people of Minnesota on this tragic and saddest of days," Gilliam said.
In 2020, Hortman earned her midcareer masters in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University. Hortman was featured in an alumni profile that year.
"Melissa was a dedicated and inspiring public servant. This is a devasting loss for the HKS community, and she will be missed by faculty, staff, and so many alumni who studied with her during her time on campus," a Harvard Kennedy School spokesperson told WBZ-TV in a statement following Hortman's death.
The FBI is assisting Minnesota law enforcement in the search for Boelter.
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