Biden, Harris and Walz attend funeral for former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman was honored for her legislative accomplishments and her humanity during a funeral Saturday where former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined over 1,000 mourners.

Hortman was fatally shot two weeks earlier by a man posing as a police officer in an attack that Minnesota's chief federal prosecutor has called an assassination. It and another shooting also left her husband, Mark, dead and a state senator and his wife seriously wounded.

“Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history. I get to remember her as a close friend, a mentor, and the most talented legislator I have ever known,” Gov. Tim Walz said in his eulogy. ”For seven years, I have had the privilege of signing her agenda into law. I know millions of Minnesotans get to live their lives better because she and Mark chose public service and politics.”

Neither Biden nor Harris spoke, but they sat in the front row with the governor, who was Harris' running mate in 2024. Biden and Harris held hands during the Lord's Prayer, a common practice, before embracing during the passing of the peace. Biden and then Harris then reached over to shake Walz’s hand.

Biden was also one of more than 7,500 people who paid their respects Friday as Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert, lay in state in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda in St. Paul. Gilbert was seriously wounded in the attack and had to be euthanized. Biden also visited the wounded senator in a hospital.

Dozens of current and former state legislators from both parties and other elected officials who worked with Hortman also attended.

Hortman, who was first elected in 2004, helped pass an expansive agenda of liberal initiatives like free lunches for public school students during the momentous 2023 session as the chamber’s speaker, along with expanded protections for abortion and trans rights. With the House split 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans this year, she yielded the gavel to a Republican under a power-sharing deal, took the title speaker emerita, and helped break a budget impasse that threatened to shut down state government.

Walz said Hortman saw her mission as “to get as much good done for as many people as possible.” And he said her focus on people was what made her so effective.

“She certainly knew how to get her way. No doubt about that,” Walz said. “But she never made anyone feel that they’d gotten rolled at a negotiating table. That wasn’t part of it for her, or a part of who she was. She didn’t need somebody else to lose to win for her.”

The governor said the best way to honor the Hortmans would be by following their example.

“Maybe it is this moment where each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for things we care about," Walz said. "A moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and Melissa did -- fiercely, enthusiastically, heartily, but without ever losing sight of our common humanity.”

The Rev. Daniel Griffith, pastor and rector of the Basilica, who led the service, said the country is in need of deep healing. He said it seems as if the U.S. is living in the “dystopian reality” described at the beginning of William Butler Yeats' poem, “The Second Coming.”

“Here in Minnesota, we have been the ground zero place, sadly, for racial injustice," Griffith said. "The killing of George Floyd just miles from our church today. And now we are the ground zero place for political violence and extremism. Both of these must be decried in the strongest possible terms, as they are, respectively, a threat to human dignity and indeed, our democracy.”

But the priest also said Minnesota could also be “a ground zero place for restoration and justice and healing.” He added that the presence of so many people was a sign that that work can succeed.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese offered his condolences to the Hortman family.

A private burial will be held at a later date.

The Hortmans were proud of their adult children, Sophie and Colin Hortman, and the lawmaker often spoke of them.

In a voice choked with emotion, Colin said his parents embodied the Golden Rule, and he read the Prayer of St. Francis, which his mother always kept in her wallet. He said it captures her essence. It starts, “Lord make me an instrument of your peace.”

After the service, Walz presented the children with U.S. and Minnesota flags that flew over the Capitol on the day their parents were killed.

The man accused of killing the Hortmans at their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park on June 14, and wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home in nearby Champlin, made a brief court appearance Friday. He's due back in court Thursday.

Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, surrendered near his home the night of June 15 after what authorities called the largest search in Minnesota history.

Boelter remains jailed and has not entered a plea. Prosecutors need to secure a grand jury indictment first. His lawyers have declined to comment on the charges, which could carry the federal death penalty.

Friends have described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views. But prosecutors have declined so far to speculate on a motive.

Gwen Walz, left, and Gov. Tim Walz exit the Basilica of St. Mary following funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

CORRECTS NAME TO SOPHIE HORTMAN FROM ALINA BACHMAN - Sophie Hortman, Colin Hortman, and Gov. Tim Walz stand behind the caskets of Melissa and Mark Hortman during funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

Father Dan Griffith, at podium, speaks as Archbishop Bernard Hebda, listens during funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

Gov. Tim Walz delivers a eulogy during funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

From left, Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, Tom Weber, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, former US Vice President Kamala Harris, former US President Joe Biden, Gwen Walz and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attend funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

The caskets of Melissa and Mark Hortman sit at the back of the sanctuary before funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

Gov. Tim Walz greets attendees before funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

Attendees take their seats before funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

Pictures of Mark and Melissa Hortman are set up inside the sanctuary at the Basilica of St. Mary's during funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

From left, Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, Tom Weber, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, former US Vice President Kamala Harris, former US President Joe Biden, Gwen Walz and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attend funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool)

People line up to pay their respect to former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who will lie in state with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert at the Minnesota Capitol rotunda on Friday, June 17, 2025 in St. Paul, Minn. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman and their dog, Gilbert, lie in state at the Minnesota State Capital in St. Paul, Minn., on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

The urn carrying the remains of Gilbert, the dog of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, is diplayed at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

People wait in line to pay their respects to Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband, Mark Hortman and their dog, Gilbert, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz walk into the rotunda to pay their respect to former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who will lie in state with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert at the Minnesota Capitol rotunda on Friday, June 17, 2025 in St. Paul, Minn. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal officers dropped tear gas and sprayed eye irritant at activists Tuesday during another day of confrontations in Minneapolis, while students miles away walked out of a suburban school to protest the Trump administration's bold immigration sweeps.

Meanwhile, the fallout from the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an immigration agent reached the local U.S. Attorney's Office: At least five prosecutors have resigned amid controversy over how the U.S. Justice Department is handling the investigation, according to people familiar with the matter.

Separately, a Justice Department official said Wednesday there's no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation. An FBI probe of Renee Good's death is ongoing.

Strife between federal agents and the public continues to boil, six days since Good was shot in the head while driving off in her Honda Pilot. At one scene, gas clouds filled a Minneapolis street near where she died. A man scrubbed his eyes with snow and screamed for help after agents in a Jeep sprayed an orange irritant and drove off.

It’s common for people to boo, taunt and blow orange whistles when they spot heavily armed immigration agents passing through in unmarked vehicles or walking the streets, all part of a grassroots effort to warn the neighborhood and remind the government that they’re watching.

“Who doesn't have a whistle?” a man with a bag of them yelled.

Brita Anderson, who lives nearby and came to support neighborhood friends, said she was “incensed” to see agents in tactical gear and gas masks, and wondered about their purpose.

“It felt like the only reason they’d come here is to harass people,” Anderson said.

In Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, students protesting the immigration enforcement operation walked out of school, as students in other communities have done this week.

Later, a large crowd gathered outside a hotel in Minneapolis banging drums and blowing whistles as officers wearing helmets and carrying batons stood guard just inside. Meanwhile, confrontations erupted between protesters and officers guarding the federal building being used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.

The departures in the U.S. Attorney's Office include First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who had been leading the sprawling prosecution of public fraud schemes in the state, according to people who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

With the Department of Homeland Security pledging to send more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota, the state, joined by Minneapolis and St. Paul, sued President Donald Trump’s administration Monday to halt or limit the surge.

The lawsuit says Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections by focusing on a progressive state that favors Democrats and welcomes immigrants.

“What we are seeing is thousands — plural — thousands of federal agents coming into our city. And, yeah, they’re having a tremendous impact on day-to-day life,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.

A judge set a status conference for Wednesday.

Homeland Security says it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the state since early December and is vowing to not back down. Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, responding to the lawsuit, accused Minnesota officials of ignoring public safety.

In a different lawsuit, a judge said she would rule by Thursday or Friday on a request to restrict the use of force, such as chemical irritants, on people who are observing and recording agents' activities. Government attorneys argued that officers must protect themselves.

The Trump administration has repeatedly defended the immigration agent who shot Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, saying he acted in self-defense. But that explanation has been widely panned by Frey, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and others based on videos of the confrontation.

State and local authorities are urging the public to share video and any other evidence as they seek to separately investigate Good's death after federal authorities insisted they would approach it alone and not share information.

In Wisconsin, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez is proposing that the state ban civil immigration enforcement around courthouses, hospitals, health clinics, schools, churches and other places. She is hoping to succeed Gov. Tony Evers, a fellow Democrat, who is not running for a third term.

“We can take a look at that, but I think banning things absolutely will ramp up the actions of our folks in Washington, D.C.,” Evers said, referring to the Trump administration. “They don’t tend to approach those things appropriately.”

Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed.

Monica Travis shares an embrace while visiting a makeshift memorial for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester is detained by Federal agents near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester grabs a tear gas grenade deployed by federal immigration officers near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester is sprayed with pepper spray by a Federal agent Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Tear gas is deployed amid protesters near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Adam Gray)

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - Tear gas is deployed amid protesters near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A protester is detained by Federal agents near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Adam Gray)(AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester grabs a tear gas grenade deployed by federal immigration officers near the scene where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer last week, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Fireworks are set off by protesters outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Federal immigration officers detain a demonstrator outside Bishop Whipple Federal Building after tear gas was deployed Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Federal immigration officers are seen outside Bishop Whipple Federal Building after tear gas was deployed Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Federal agents drive through smoke from tear gas dispersed during a protest, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Minneapolis (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A protester's face is doused in water after he was pepper sprayed outside of the Bishop Whipple Federal Building, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - A man gestures as he walks toward a cloud of tear gas that was deployed by federal immigration officers Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters try to avoid tear gas dispersed by federal agents, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Minneapolis (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Federal agents get ready to disperse tear gas into a crowd at a protest, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 in Minneapolis (AP Photo/Adam Gray)