BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) provided new details on Thursday about the tragic shooting in Burnsville, where two police officers and a firefighter/paramedic lost their lives on February 18.
According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, along with firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, succumbed to gunshot wounds. The medical examiner also determined that Shannon Gooden, 38, of Burnsville, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Three Burnsville police officers who discharged their firearms during the incident have been identified by the BCA. Adam Medlicott fired his department handgun, while Officer Javier Jimenez and Officer Daniel Wical both fired their department rifles.
The preliminary investigation revealed that officers responded to a home in Burnsville just before 2:00 a.m. following reports of a domestic incident. Gooden, who claimed to be unarmed and with children inside, refused to leave the home when the officers arrived.
The officers engaged in a three and a half-hour negotiation with Gooden inside the home in an attempt to persuade him to surrender peacefully. Unfortunately, at about 5:26 a.m., Gooden opened fire on the officers without warning, leading to a tragic turn of events.
Ruge, Elmstrand, and Medlicott are believed to have been initially shot inside the home, and amidst the chaos, Finseth was shot while trying to aid the officers. The standoff came to a devastating end when Gooden took his own life after continued gunfire at law enforcement and first responders.
BCA crime scene personnel recovered numerous firearms and a significant amount of ammunition at the scene, as well as body camera and squad car camera footage of the incident, which is being thoroughly reviewed as part of the active investigation. The Burnsville Police Department has requested the BCA to investigate the incident in its entirety, including the events leading up to the 911 call and the officers’ use-of-force.
Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office for review. The tragic loss of these dedicated public servants has left the community in mourning, and the investigation aims to shed light on the circumstances that led to this devastating event.