BCA: Burnsville shooter fired at police, firefighter as they moved from the home to an armored car

By KAALTV

From left to right: Officer Paul Elmstrand, Firefighter Adam Finseth and Officer Matthew Ruge (City of Burnsville)

(ABC 6 News) – The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension released new information about the incident that took the lives of police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, and Shanno Gooden of Burnsville, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after shooting the others.

Among the findings, the BCA determined that three Burnsville police officers discharged weapons during the incident, while Gooden allegedly filed more than 100 rounds at law enforcement and first responders.

The BCA also indicated that Gooden opened fire on officers in the home after three and a half hours of negotiations. Elmstrand and Ruge were shot inside the home, according to findings, and Ruge was shot again as officers exited the home and tried to go to an armored vehicle in the driveway.

Finseth, a Rochester native, was shot while trying to help the officers, according to the BCA.

The BCA’s full release reads as follows:

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) continues to actively investigate the Feb. 18 incident in Burnsville during which two police officers and a firefighter/paramedic were killed. According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth died of gunshot wounds. They were shot by Shannon Gooden, 38, of Burnsville, who the medical examiner determined died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The BCA has identified three Burnsville police officers who discharged their firearms during this incident.

Adam Medlicott fired his department handgun. He has 14 years of law enforcement experience.
Officer Javier Jimenez fired his department rifle. He has eight years of law enforcement experience.
Officer Daniel Wical fired his department rifle. He has eight years of law enforcement experience.

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.

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 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. There is body camera and squad car camera video of the incident. BCA agents are reviewing all available video as part of the active investigation.

The Burnsville Police Department asked the BCA to investigate this incident in its entirety, including what led to the 911 call, the incident itself and the officers’ use-of-force. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without a charging recommendation to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office for review.