How to Watch Memorial Service for Burnsville First Responders

(KNSI) — A joint public memorial service for three fallen first responders gets underway at 11:00 a.m. this morning.

Grace Church in Eden Prairie is hosting the service for Officer Paul Elmstrand, Officer Matthew Ruge, and firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth. The three were shot and killed in the line of duty while responding to a call for help at a home in Burnsville Sunday morning, February 18th.

The church is live streaming the service on its YouTube channel here. The public is encouraged to log on rather than try and pack into the church. Price of Peace Lutheran in Burnsville is also opening its doors for people to view the service. People can also line the procession to pay respects. Find the map here.

Chaplain Mark Patrick will be officiating the service. Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and Sergeant Adam Medlicott, who was also shot on February 18th, will speak. Eulogies will be delivered by coworkers of the three men, including Police Chief Tanya Schwartz and Fire Chief BJ Jungmann.

Twenty-seven-year-old Elmstrand joined the Burnsville Police Department in August 2017 as a Community Service Officer. He was promoted to officer in July 2019 and was part of the department’s mobile command staff, peer team, Honor Guard and field training unit.

Ruge, also 27, joined the Burnsville Police Department in April 2020. He was part of the department’s crisis negotiations team and was a physical evidence officer.

Forty-year-old Finseth served as a Burnsville Firefighter/Paramedic since February 2019 and was part of the public safety team’s SWAT unit. He served as a water rescue trainer and was part of the City’s Health & Wellness Committee.

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