Woman Pleads Guilty to Illegally Purchasing Guns Used to Murder Three First Responders

(KNSI) — The woman accused of illegally buying the guns used by her boyfriend to murder three first responders in Burnsville last February has pleaded guilty.

U.S. Andy Luger says that between September 2023 and January 2024, Ashley Lynn Dyrdahl bought semiautomatic AR-15 style weapons and made sure one was equipped with a binary trigger. The accessory enables a gun to shoot once when the trigger is pulled and again when it is released, effectively doubling the rate of fire. She turned the guns over to Shannon Cortez Gooden, who was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing or owning a firearm.

On the morning of February 18th, 2024, police were called to Gooden’s home in Burnsville for a domestic disturbance. After a long standoff, law enforcement officers became concerned for the well-being of seven children and adolescents inside and tried to get them out. That’s when Gooden unleashed a hail of bullets, killing officers Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge and firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth, who had dashed into the line of fire to grab the two men.

Thanks to Dyrdahl, Gooden also had large capacity magazines that made his ambush even more effective.

Dyrdahl pleaded guilty to two counts of straw purchasing in federal court. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.

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