Jessie Ebertz held back tears as she stood in front of a makeshift memorial honouring the slain Democratic politician Melissa Hortman and her husband.
"Minnesota has felt a little bit like a safe haven," said Ms Ebertz, a government employee who lives in the state capital, "because we have been able to keep our atmosphere of respecting one another here."
"This has blown that out of the water."
The death of Hortman and her husband has sent a shockwave through the state. They were killed early Saturday morning by an assailant disguised as a police officer, who also injured Democratic state lawmaker, John Hoffman, and his wife.
Both are expected to survive.
