Dog shot during Minnesota lawmaker's murder put down days after attack

Only days after a gunman shot and killed Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband the family s rescue dog Gilbert had to be euthanized Vance Boelter allegedly shot Gilbert the family s golden retriever during the attack at the Brooklyn Park home Fellow Minnesota House Rep Erin Koegel commented on social media platform X that he was put down following the murder MINNESOTA SHOOTING SUSPECT VANCE BOELTER TO FACE FEDERAL CHARGES IN LAWMAKER ATTACKS Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered Gilbert wasn't going to survive Melissa loved that dog She trained him as a organization dog He flunked out of school and she was so happy he failed so he could stay She needed him in heaven with her Koegel reported Helping Paws a local non-profit in Eden Prairie Minn took to Facebook after hearing of Rep Hortman s death to share several kind words and a photo of Gilbert and Hortman together The group disclosed they remembered Hortman for her kindness and compassion They stated she unfailingly strived to make the world a better place SUSPECTED MINNESOTA LAWMAKER ASSASSIN VANCE BOELTER CAPTURED This morning we learned of the tragic and senseless death of former Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark the post began Melissa served her district in more procedures than one 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 utility dog partnered with a Veteran They also helped raise and train Gilbert a function dog in training who was eventually career changed and became a cherished member of their family At this time we do not have endorsed information about Gilbert s condition the nonprofit wrote Saturday after Hortman's death Koegel reported the Minnesota Star Tribune that the House sergeant-at-arms informed members that Gilbert had to be put down Hortman's adult children circulated a announcement Monday night saying that one way to keep their parent's memory alive would be to Pet a dog A golden retriever is ideal but any will do Vance Boelter was hit with multiple federal charges after administrators captured him Sunday in what police described as the largest manhunt in the state's history Police discovered him after the massive two-day manhunt in the woods near his home He is charged with two counts of stalking two counts of murder and two counts of firearm-related crimes in federal court In addition to the federal charges Boelter is facing second-degree murder charges filed in Hennepin County where he is accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark early Saturday morning at their Brooklyn Park home in Minneapolis and of shooting State Sen John Hoffman also a Democrat and his wife Yvette in their nearby Champlin home in a related attack