Gun Used to Kill Three First Responders Bought Illegally

(KNSI) — The gun used to kill two Burnsville police officers and a Burnsville firefighter paramedic was bought illegally.

The 38-year-old suspect, Shannon Gooden, was banned from owning or possessing guns and ammunition following a felony conviction in 2008. The owner of The Modern Sportsman in Burnsville said the lower receiver of an AR-15 was a transfer purchase, shipped to his store from an out-of-state dealer through online sales, and picked up by someone who owner John McConkey said passed a background check. That lower receiver was found at the home where Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Firefighter Paramedic Adam Finseth were gunned down while responding to a domestic incident on February 18th.

Officers were called there just before 2:00 a.m., and Gooden told them there were kids in the house and he was unarmed. They negotiated in the home with Gooden to get him to surrender for three and a half hours before he opened fire, killing the three men and injuring another officer. That officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is recovering. He spoke at the memorial service Wednesday morning. Gooden was shot in an exchange of gunfire and later turned the gun on himself.

Buying a firearm for someone who is banned from owning one is called a straw purchase, and it’s a felony. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is still investigating and has not yet said if they have a person in custody.

In 2015, two New Hope police officers were shot during a swearing in ceremony at a city council meeting. The gun used in that crime was also obtained through a straw purchase. The gunman, in that case, was shot and killed. The officers sued the gun shop owner for damages.

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