AJ Richards remembers Mark Hortman from when they attended West Millbrook Magnet Middle School and Millbrook Magnet High School together in Raleigh.
Hortman and his wife, former Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, were shot and killed early Saturday in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
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“He was just one of those people, he was always happy," Richards said of Mark Hortman. “I really loved that about him.
“He was kind. He was very mild-mannered and he just had … [a] really goofy smile.”
On Saturday, Richards said she watched television coverage on the search for the suspect while she spent time with her grandkids.
“I had turned it up just to kind of hear what they were saying,” Richards said. “And then, I realized when they said his name, I was like, ‘That’s not a common name.’”
Richards, who now lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, visited Mark Hortman’s Facebook page to find out what was going on.
“That’s when I realized that was him and his wife, and that was just heartbreaking and devastating to think somebody could be so evil to hurt someone that they probably didn’t know or didn’t know well,” Richards said. “And, they’re in the privacy of their home.
“Just to think about it is just very hard … I’m still in shock.”
Richards said she remembers meeting Mark Hortman at West Millbrook Magnet Middle School.
“We were all just a big group,” Richards said. “We’d go out to get pizza.”
Richards recalled middle school dances in the cafeteria with Hortman and their friends.
“One of our favorite songs would come on,” Richards said. “We’d all go and just like grab his arm and pull him on the dance floor, so he was a fun person, and we just really had a good time."
Richards said she last saw Mark Hortman at a high school reunion. It was the first and only time Richards met Melissa Hortman.
“I remember him telling me via Facebook when his wife was running for office, and he was so very happy and so very proud of her,” Richards said. “That’s the kind of person he was. He was always very, very supportive.”
Richards said Hortman and the friend group would keep in touch on social media.
“I’m shocked and can’t believe it because truly that could be any of us at any time opening your door to something you think is safe, like a police officer,” Richards said.
Full interview: Click or tap here to watch the full interview of AJ Richards remembering her late friend, Mark Hortman
During the weekend, hundreds of law officers fanned out across Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, the Minneapolis suburb, in pursuit of a man who authorities say posed as a police officer.
Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested Sunday evening. The arrest was confirmed to The Associated Press by a law enforcement official who not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin home, about 9 miles away from the Hortman's home.