The children of Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman are speaking out on their parents' murders. “They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can’t believe they are gone," Sophie and Colin Hortman wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE Monday.

A suspect is in custody after Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot Saturday, while state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded.

Early Saturday morning, Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were assassinated in their home.

Two days before her assassination, Hortman made a plea for more bipartisanship and face-to-face conversations, rather than social media echo chambers.

When a longtime Minnesota lawmaker died after a battle with ALS, former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman helped pass historic legislation in search of a cure.

He wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife but didn’t come into contact with the two other DFL legislators, investigators say.

"The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”

Minneapolis mourns the assassination of Speaker Hortman and husband; city emphasizes democracy, safety, and community events.

Gov. Tim Walz called the event a “politically motivated assassination," with the attack marking the latest such incident over the last several years.