Police Officers Paul Elmstrand (27), Matthew Ruge (27), and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseith (40) killed by gunman

[mdcastle]

"Two police officers and a firefighter who responded to a domestic situation at a suburban Dakota County home were killed early Sunday during a standoff by a heavily armed man who shot at police from the home where seven children were also inside. The suspect is dead, and another police officer was injured in the shooting in a neighborhood in Burnsville, a city of about 64,000 people that is located approximately 20 miles south of St. Paul. Investigators are still putting together details of the shooting, which unfolded from a domestic call. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner?s Office said late Monday that Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic who was assigned to the city?s SWAT team, died of gunshot wounds in the emergency room at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis shortly after 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The suspect was identified by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Monday as Shannon Gooden, 38, of Burnsville. Officials had said the suspect was armed with multiple guns and large amounts of ammunition. He had barricaded himself inside the home with his family, who included seven children ages 2 to 15. Court records show Gooden wasn?t legally allowed to have guns and had been entangled in a yearslong dispute over the custody and financial support of his three oldest children. The bureau said the medical examiner will release his cause and manner of death at a later date."



Elmstrand's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/paul-elmstrand

Finseth's GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/vsu56-adams-family

Shannon's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannon.gooden.7

I live roughly five miles from where this happened, and a kid I went to high school with a kid that is now a Ramsey County judge that litigated a child custody dispute between the perpetrator and one of the baby mamas. The child wound up being placed with him and she's popping up on social media bashing the judge, even though she has a criminal record as long as he did.

[Nic B]

The title confused the hell out of me

Domestic situations are no joke for cops.

[mdcastle]

Oop, should have read "Shannon Gooden (38) shot....

[Bewitchingstorm]

Oop, should have read "Shannon Gooden (38) shot....

I edited it a bit.

[Angiebla]

Did he alone have custody of all the kids? How many did he exactly have?

[Boston Babe 73]

It's damn lucky that those kids didn't get killed. That's usually the way these situations work out. Why can't these people just take themselves out instead of taking others with them?

[Nic B]

It's damn lucky that those kids didn't get killed. That's usually the way these situations work out. Why can't these people just take themselves out instead of taking others with them?

Exactly. Why take out strangers you don't even know? I can only guess he wasn't planning on committing suicide until after killing everyone - he then realizes he is done for and doesn't want to spend his life in jail.

[mdcastle]

Local social media reports are the words "2nd degree CSC [criminal sexual conduct]" were heard being discussed on the EMT's scanner channel.

[Bewitchingstorm]

Exactly. Why take out strangers you don't even know? I can only guess he wasn't planning on committing suicide until after killing everyone - he then realizes he is done for and doesn't want to spend his life in jail.

Right? I mean, what a strange end game.

[mdcastle]

Extraction from an article from the Pioneer Press beyond a hard paywall, this answers the question about the kids now that the Mom of the three older kids has been released by the media I'll note it here: Noelle Torres.

https://enewspaper.twincities.com/in...2-b7a4648aa8c8

When a man barricaded himself in a Burnsville home with seven children, two of them were in the room with him as he was shooting, according to one of their mothers. Another child, the gunman?s 14-year-old son, took two younger children with him into a closet to hide as they curled into the fetal position. Shannon Cortez Gooden, 38, fatally shot Burnsville police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth on Sunday morning, authorities have said. Burnsville police Sgt. Adam Medlicott was also shot by the gunman and is recovering. Before Gooden shot and killed himself, he asked his 12-year-old daughter and his girlfriend?s 14-year-old daughter ?if they wanted to go with him? and they told him ?no,? said Noemi Torres of what her 12-year-old daughter told her. ?They knew he was talking about them dying,? she said Monday night. Gooden and his girlfriend had two children together. Torres and Gooden, who broke up in 2016, had three children, ages 12, 14 and 15. His girlfriend has two children from a previous relationship. During the standoff, Gooden?s 12-year-old daughter and his girlfriend?s 14-year-old daughter were in the home?s main bedroom with him, Torres said. Gooden gave ear protection to the girls, like what would be used at a shooting range, Torres said of what her daughter told her. Torres? 12-year-old ran into a bathroom attached to the bedroom ? the whole area was small ? to try to get away, but Gooden started shooting out the bathroom window, Torres said. The girl was struck by a glass shard in the arm. Torres? daughter heard officers negotiating with Gooden. The girl told Torres that Gooden went into the hallway and shot at officers. Torres thinks that?s when Gooden was shot in the leg by police. Gooden went back into the bedroom with the girls. Torres? 12-year-old daughter told her she wasn?t scared until her father asked, ?Do you want to go with me?? ?He told my daughter he loved her, kissed her and took his life,? Torres said.

[Bewitchingstorm]

How terrifying for the children in the room with him. And to be asked if they want to go with him? OMG!!!!!

[Angiebla]

He killed himself right in front of the little girl?

[Nic B]

He killed himself right in front of the little girl?

That's what I am wondering, too. Ugh, I hope not.

[Boston Babe 73]

Extraction from an article from the Pioneer Press beyond a hard paywall, this answers the question about the kids now that the Mom of the three older kids has been released by the media I'll note it here: Noelle Torres.

https://enewspaper.twincities.com/in...2-b7a4648aa8c8

When a man barricaded himself in a Burnsville home with seven children, two of them were in the room with him as he was shooting, according to one of their mothers. Another child, the gunman?s 14-year-old son, took two younger children with him into a closet to hide as they curled into the fetal position. Shannon Cortez Gooden, 38, fatally shot Burnsville police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth on Sunday morning, authorities have said. Burnsville police Sgt. Adam Medlicott was also shot by the gunman and is recovering. Before Gooden shot and killed himself, he asked his 12-year-old daughter and his girlfriend?s 14-year-old daughter ?if they wanted to go with him? and they told him ?no,? said Noemi Torres of what her 12-year-old daughter told her. ?They knew he was talking about them dying,? she said Monday night. Gooden and his girlfriend had two children together. Torres and Gooden, who broke up in 2016, had three children, ages 12, 14 and 15. His girlfriend has two children from a previous relationship. During the standoff, Gooden?s 12-year-old daughter and his girlfriend?s 14-year-old daughter were in the home?s main bedroom with him, Torres said. Gooden gave ear protection to the girls, like what would be used at a shooting range, Torres said of what her daughter told her. Torres? 12-year-old ran into a bathroom attached to the bedroom ? the whole area was small ? to try to get away, but Gooden started shooting out the bathroom window, Torres said. The girl was struck by a glass shard in the arm. Torres? daughter heard officers negotiating with Gooden. The girl told Torres that Gooden went into the hallway and shot at officers. Torres thinks that?s when Gooden was shot in the leg by police. Gooden went back into the bedroom with the girls. Torres? 12-year-old daughter told her she wasn?t scared until her father asked, ?Do you want to go with me?? ?He told my daughter he loved her, kissed her and took his life,? Torres said.

JFC. I REALLY hope that all of those kids can get counseling after this. I'm SO surprised that they didn't get killed, but thankful that they didn't. They're in for a lifetime of issues though. I just hope that they have a good support system in place.

[mdcastle]

It's also mentioned there's fears the kids may be bullied in school because their father was a cop-killer.

News Release from the Minnesota BCA:
https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ooc/new...incident.aspx?

New details are they were inside his house for 3-1/2 hours negotating with him when he suddenly went apeshit and started shooting without warning and the officers were shot before they could retreat out to their armored vehicles. And that he fired more than 100 rifle rounds at them and that mulltiple officers attempt to return fire with their own weapons.

"According to the preliminary investigation, officers responded to a home in Burnsville just before 2 a.m. after receiving reports of a domestic incident. When they arrived, they spoke with Gooden, who refused to leave the home but said he was unarmed and had children inside. The officers entered the home and negotiated with Gooden for about three and a half hours in an effort to get him to surrender peacefully. At about 5:26 a.m., Gooden opened fire on the officers inside the home without warning. Ruge, Elmstrand and Medlicott are believed to have been initially shot inside the home. Medlicott and Wical returned fire while inside the home, striking Gooden in the leg. Both Ruge and Medlicott were shot a second time as officers were moving from the home to an armored vehicle in the driveway. That's when Finseth was shot while trying to aid the officers. Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth were all later pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center. ooden continued to fire shots out of the home at officers and the armored vehicle that had personnel inside. At one point, while Gooden was shooting out of an upstairs window, Jimenez returned fire with his sniper rifle. The standoff ended when Gooden took his own life. The SWAT team found his body when they cleared the house at 10:15 a.m. BCA crime scene personnel recovered several firearms and a large amount of ammunition at the scene. They also recovered numerous cartridge casings. Gooden fired more than 100 rifle rounds at law enforcement and first responders during the incident."

[Boston Babe 73]

It's also mentioned there's fears the kids may be bullied in school because their father was a cop-killer.

News Release from the Minnesota BCA:
https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/ooc/new...incident.aspx?

New details are they were inside his house for 3-1/2 hours negotating with him when he suddenly went apeshit and started shooting without warning and the officers were shot before they could retreat out to their armored vehicles. And that he fired more than 100 rifle rounds at them and that mulltiple officers attempt to return fire with their own weapons.

"According to the preliminary investigation, officers responded to a home in Burnsville just before 2 a.m. after receiving reports of a domestic incident. When they arrived, they spoke with Gooden, who refused to leave the home but said he was unarmed and had children inside. The officers entered the home and negotiated with Gooden for about three and a half hours in an effort to get him to surrender peacefully. At about 5:26 a.m., Gooden opened fire on the officers inside the home without warning. Ruge, Elmstrand and Medlicott are believed to have been initially shot inside the home. Medlicott and Wical returned fire while inside the home, striking Gooden in the leg. Both Ruge and Medlicott were shot a second time as officers were moving from the home to an armored vehicle in the driveway. That's when Finseth was shot while trying to aid the officers. Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth were all later pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center. ooden continued to fire shots out of the home at officers and the armored vehicle that had personnel inside. At one point, while Gooden was shooting out of an upstairs window, Jimenez returned fire with his sniper rifle. The standoff ended when Gooden took his own life. The SWAT team found his body when they cleared the house at 10:15 a.m. BCA crime scene personnel recovered several firearms and a large amount of ammunition at the scene. They also recovered numerous cartridge casings. Gooden fired more than 100 rifle rounds at law enforcement and first responders during the incident."

That's just heartbreaking. Those poor kids. They're better off moving far away from there because they'll never have peace staying there. I hope that someone within their families will be able to help facilitate that.

[mdcastle]

Live-In girlfriend (whom I'm assuming was the victim in theoriginal domestic violence 911 call that prompted the response), facing federal charges for straw-purchasing weapons for him:
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota...sville-shooter

"U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Andrew Luger announced the indictment against Gooden's live-in partner Wednesday, alleging Ashley Anne Dyrdahl "intentionally and repeatedly obtained powerful and dangerous firearms and put in the hands of a violent, convicted felon....Federal prosecutors have charged Dyrdahl with one count of conspiring with Gooden to violate federal firearms laws and five counts related to straw purchasing. Dyrdahl is additionally charged with five counts related to lying on the federal form required to purchase firearms. "

[mdcastle]

Live-In girlfriend (whom I'm assuming was the victim in theoriginal domestic violence 911 call that prompted the response), facing federal charges for straw-purchasing weapons for him:
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota...sville-shooter

"U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Andrew Luger announced the indictment against Gooden's live-in partner Wednesday, alleging Ashley Anne Dyrdahl "intentionally and repeatedly obtained powerful and dangerous firearms and put in the hands of a violent, convicted felon....Federal prosecutors have charged Dyrdahl with one count of conspiring with Gooden to violate federal firearms laws and five counts related to straw purchasing. Dyrdahl is additionally charged with five counts related to lying on the federal form required to purchase firearms. "