Accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter's alleged plan to kill more politicians on his target list was foiled by a police sergeant's proactive hunch, and his capture came after he made a big misstep that exposed his whereabouts to an eagle-eyed neighbor, authorities said.

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.

Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) pulled Lee out of a Senate Republican-only meeting on Monday night to talk to him about how “cruel” and “hurtful” his comments were. Beyond the horror of the situation, Smith was also friends with Hortman.

Both state and federal officials are pursuing murder charges against a man they say killed a state lawmaker and her husband. A federal case could lead to the death penalty.

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.

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

"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.”

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