(KNSI) — Tuesday marks one year since two police officers and a firefighter/paramedic were shot and killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic incident at a home in Burnsville, and the city will mark the somber anniversary this afternoon.
In the early morning hours of February 18th, 2024, Ashley Dyrdahl called 911 to report a sexual assault. A transcript from the call shows she screamed, “Help me!” before the line went dead. Dispatchers tried calling the number back but were unable to reach her. Police were sent to the address and met Dyrdahl in the driveway. She told them her boyfriend, Shannon Gooden, was barricaded inside with seven kids between the ages of five and 15 and had been sexually abusing one of them after finding messages on his phone that were sexual in nature and indicating a sex act had occurred between the two. Dyrdahl also told police Gooden had access to guns and threatened to take everyone out with him if the police were called.
Negotiators, including Officer Matthew Ruge, arrived on the scene around 2:00 a.m. and entered the house through the garage. Ruge took the lead, seemingly building rapport with Gooden. There were six officers inside the home, including Ruge, Officer Paul Elmstrand, and Sergeant Adam Medlicott, when Gooden opened fire around 5:25 a.m. Elmstrand was shot in the head, and Medlicott was shot in the arm, but he and another officer, Daniel Wical, managed to shoot back and provide cover to allow the others to escape. Officer Ruge approached a paramedic, saying he had been hit in the vest.
Roughly six minutes after the initial shooting, Gooden opened fire again, this time hitting firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth and Ruge. They were taken to an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. Gooden ran from window to window, spraying gunfire at first responders from different positions. A sniper with a special tactical team that had been brought in fired at Gooden, who had already been shot by Wical. Gooden retreated, and a short time later, a single gunshot was heard. One of the kids holed up inside called 911 to say Gooden was dead.
They were all out of the house by 7:00 a.m.
Elmstrand, Finseth, and Ruge were all killed. More than 200 shell casings were found inside the house.
Dyrdahl was later arrested and charged with buying semiautomatic AR-15 style weapons and making 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 Gooden, who was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing or owning a firearm. Former U.S. Attorney Andy Luger, who charged Dyrdahl, said thanks to her, Gooden also had large capacity magazines that made his ambush even more effective.
Last month, Dyrdahl pleaded guilty to two counts of straw purchasing in federal court. A sentencing date has not yet been announced.
The Burnsville City Council declared today Public Safety Memorial Day. Members of the public are invited to commemorate the somber anniversary as three wreaths will be laid outside to remember Elmstrand, Finseth and Ruge and all first responders who have been killed in the line of duty. Today, city buildings will be lit in red, white, and blue, and flags will be flown at half staff. An official ceremony will take place at 2:00 p.m.
Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz said, “Burnsville will not forget these brave men, their courage, selflessness and dedication to our community.”
A fundraiser is underway by the Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police Foundation to send Burnsville first responders to the National Firefighter Memorial and National Peace Officers Memorial to honor the three. Three others, Red Lake police officer Jesse Branch, park ranger Kevin Grossheim and Minneapolis police officer Jamal Mitchell, will also be honored at that memorial.
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