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After a weekend of unimaginable heartbreak, sadness and anger we’re still left with the largest question of all — why?

The Saturday morning assassinations of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, along with the attempted murder of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, have left the state shaken.

The word “assassination” isn’t a word to be used lightly, as in the cases of both presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, our country as a whole was shadowed in the years that followed, and yet, this is the reality of where we are now.

Saturday’s acts of violence are unfortunately a stark reality and symptom of a larger issue swirling in the murk of today’s politics. Simply put, these killings were senseless, and seemingly at its blackened heart is a case of politically-driven violence.

It’s important to firmly state that Vance Boelter, who has been arrested and charged, currently benefits from a government that requires innocence until proven guilty. The state feels confident, though, that they have a significant case against him and have already promised to pursue first-degree murder charges, something that will require a grand jury.

What we do know is this: Court documents state that Boelter had “at least three AK-47 assault rifles and a 9 mm handgun, as well as a list of names and addresses of other public officials.”

That list allegedly represent a significant plan of intent that had there not been an interruption Saturday, the day could have gotten much worse.

Sadly, we don’t need any more deaths to know the height of tragedy the Hortmans’ deaths represent. Their families are irrevocably changed forever due to the violence of a singular act of anger and hatred.

Disagreement in politics is inevitable, and it is unavoidable. The government is representative of the voices of many, and with that comes the views of many. These views are destined to create disagreements, which can be constructive when taken down the correct avenue of healthy discussion.

Unfortunately, venomous rhetoric has infested how politics are handled these days, amplified through the speakers of social media and oftentimes the voices of the elected themselves.

We see that seep into the everyday from our highest office and on down.

We’re not so naive as to believe that Hortman didn’t have detractors. In a day and age featuring a widening divide between right and left, it’s impossible to believe or even acknowledge the idea.

But what was certain was that regardless of how you believed in Hortman herself, she had a devout interest in making Minnesota a better place. We believe this as much as we believe there are Republicans who care the same way and with the same passion. 

None of them deserves to die; that is a basic understanding.

Agree or disagree with her stances and philosophies, none of that was ever going to be fixed by the taking of life.

The investigation is early, and despite what is perceived through individual views, none of us knows the complete story yet, and it could be quite some time before we do know the entirety of it all.

Please, take the time and think about your own thoughts regarding your own views. Keep them strong, keep them passionate, but keep them safe. Nothing has been accomplished by this act of hatred other than to end the life of a passionate voice for our state, and devastate the families in the direct aftermath of all of this. These two families will never be the same, and really, neither will our state.

Our condolences to the Hortman family and best wishes for the recovery of the Hoffman family. We, as a state, mourn together.