BURNSVILLE, Minn. – A man who fatally shot two police officers and a first responder in Burnsville, Minnesota over the weekend was prohibited from owning a firearm, court records revealed. The shooter, Shannon Gooden, 38, was also involved in an unsuccessful attempt to overturn the lifelong state ban four years ago.
The incident took place when Gooden barricaded himself inside a home with seven children, aged between 2 and 15, and opened fire on law enforcement officers. The officers were trying to negotiate with him when he started shooting, leading to the tragic deaths of two police officers, Paul Elmstrand, 27, and Matthew Ruge, 27, and Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic, officials confirmed.
Another officer, Adam Medlicott, was also shot at the scene but is expected to survive. Gooden, along with the officers, died during the encounter. Gooden had been employed as a journeyman painter for over a decade at LaMettry’s Collision in Burnsville.
Gooden was prohibited from possessing firearms after being convicted of second-degree assault in 2007 when he was just 21 years old. In 2020, his attorney attempted to reverse the ban, arguing that there was “good cause” to do so because Gooden was “not a dangerous criminal” or a “potential risk to the community.”
However, a judge denied the motion to lift the ban, and no further explanation was provided. Gooden’s attorney stated that he was surprised to hear about the shooting and did not believe Gooden was capable of such violence at the time the motion was filed.
The tragic incident has left a deep impact on the families of the first responders as well as Gooden’s. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is currently investigating the fatal shooting, which had no prior calls for service at the home or regarding the suspected shooter.