From the wooden dais in the Minnesota House, then-Speaker Melissa Hortman presided two years ago over what many called the most consequential legislative session in recent history. She helped orchestrate the passage of long-held Democratic goals: increased education spending,

Melissa Hortman's golden retriever, Gilbert, was shot in a targeted attack that killed her and her husband. Her children had to euthanise him, deepening the tragedy.

"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.”

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.

Sophie and Colin Hortman are responding to the fatal shooting of their parents, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman.

Sophie and Colin Hortman released the following statement on behalf of the Hortman family: “We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can’t believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much.”

Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, lost their life in a fatal shooting in their home in the northern Minneapolis suburbs.

The adult children of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman released a statement on behalf of their Brooklyn Park family on Monday saying their slain parents were the “bright lights at

Melissa and Mark Hortman served their community in many ways, including training dogs to be service animals for people in need.