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.

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. Mike Lee (R-Utah), appeared to blame the assassination of Smith’s friend, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, on the political left. Smith sought him out to chat.

Before Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman became a nationally recognized figure following her fatal shooting death alongside her husband Saturday morning — an act public officials have called an act of “political violence” — she was revered by colleagues as a dedicated public servant.

Raleigh native Mark Hortman and wife, lawmaker Melissa Hortman, were fatally shot in a suspected political attack in Minnesota.

Vance Boelter, the man accused of shooting two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses, visited the homes of four lawmakers over the course of a few hours early Saturday. Federal prosecutors have charged Boelter,

Before her death, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman helped train service dogs for veterans. One veteran said her support gave him a second life.

Authorities are still searching for the suspect 57-year-old Vance Boelter. Gov. Tim Walz said former Minn. House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Sen. John Hoffman were deliberately targeted.