BURNSVILLE, Minnesota – Shannon Gooden, the shooter responsible for the deaths of two police officers and a firefighter who worked as a paramedic in a four-hour-long hostage situation, was seen in disturbing footage gleefully firing a rifle in a shooting range. Gooden, with multiple previous convictions including assault with a deadly weapon, barricaded himself inside a home with seven children, ranging from 2 to 15 years old, before the SWAT team stormed the house.
The 38-year-old had a history of run-ins with the law, with court records indicating previous convictions for disorderly conduct, as well as a petition to restore his rights to own a firearm. Despite arguing that granting him those rights would allow him to protect his family, the petition was ultimately denied by the court.
City officials identified the slain officers as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and Adam Finseth, a firefighter and paramedic. Gooden, who died at the scene, exchanged gunfire with the police before eventually succumbing. Another officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, was injured and was being treated at a hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
The hostage situation lasted for four hours before the SWAT team entered the home. According to the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, negotiations with Gooden lasted around four hours before he opened fire. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans stated that the exact exchange of gunfire that occurred is still unknown.
Gooden’s grim social media footage of him firing a weapon was dated to March 23, 2014, and showed him excitedly shooting at a short-range target. The video also showed him taking the target in his hand and showing it off to unnamed friends, declaring, “I’m sure there’s a hole in there somewhere.”
The burned out house and the tragic loss of life in the situation is a stark reminder of the dangers police officers and emergency service workers face each day while serving their communities.