Shooter fired more than 100 rounds without warning in incident that left 2 Minn. officers, 1 medic dead

Officers negotiated with the shooter for about 3 1/2 hours before he opened fire, killing Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40

February 23, 2024 01:23 PM

2 Minn. police officers, 1 medic killed during domestic call identified — City officials identified the slain officers as Paul Elmstrand (left) and Matthew Ruge (center), both 27. Adam Finseth (right), a firefighter and paramedic, also was killed.

By Paul Walsh
Star Tribune

MINNEAPOLIS — Shannon Cortez Gooden fired more than 100 rounds at police and first responders without warning during a predawn standoff in a Burnsville neighborhood that left two officers and a paramedic dead, state investigators disclosed Thursday.

That disclosure and other details came in the most specific release of information yet from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension since Gooden killed the three early Sunday at Gooden’s home in the 12600 block of S. 33rd Avenue.

Killed were Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40. A public memorial service for the three is scheduled for Wednesday at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. A third officer, 38-year-old Sgt. Adam Medlicott, was wounded and is now recovering at home.

The BCA provided this account in a statement and a court document filed this week by the agency leading the investigation:

Officers responded to a home in Burnsville shortly before 2 a.m. after receiving reports of a sexual assault. The arrived and spoke to 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 3 1/2 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 officer Daniel Wical returned fire while in the home, wounding Gooden in the leg. Ruge and Medlicott were shot a second time as officers were moving from the home to an armored vehicle in the drive. That’s when Finseth was shot while trying to aid the officers.

Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth were pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.

Gooden 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 from an upstairs window, officer Javier Jimenez returned fire with his sniper rifle. The standoff ended when Gooden shot himself in the head. A SWAT team with a drone found his body once 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, leading investigators determining that Gooden fired more than 100 rifle rounds at law enforcement and first responders.

Video from police body-worn and squad cameras was recorded and available to BCA investigators.

Once the BCA completes its investigation, the findings will be turned over without a charging recommendation to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office for review.

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