Online fundraiser set up for children involved in deadly Burnsville standoff
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — The youngest victims of Sunday's tragedy in Burnsville need your help.
Seven children, ranging in age from 2 to 15, were inside the home when 38-year-old Shannon Gooden engaged law enforcement in an hourslong standoff, resulting in the deaths of three first responders.
RELATED: How to help the families of Burnsville police officers and paramedic killed in shooting
Burnsville police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, and firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth, were all killed. Sgt. Adam Medlicott was also injured and has since been released from the hospital.
Gooden eventually killed himself in front of two of the kids, according to Noemi Torres, Gooden's former girlfriend and the mother of three of his children. All made it out of the home safely after experiencing unfathomable trauma.
Madison Weimar, sister of the woman who was living with Gooden, wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser that the kids need therapy and to get back to routines, like school, as soon as possible.
She thanked law enforcement, saying her sister and children are "safe today because of their heroic actions, and we cannot thank them enough for their courage and bravery."
RELATED: Man who killed 3 Minnesota first responders identified as Shannon Gooden
Her sister, nieces and nephews are now staying with family members.
Torres told WCCO on Monday her three children with Gooden are now back in her custody.
"My kids are innocent. Those kids are all innocent," Torres said.
RELATED: Who were the officers and paramedic fatally shot in Burnsville?
Torres said the mother of Gooden's current girlfriend called 911 before the deadly confrontation.
"His current girlfriend, her mother actually was calling the police department, you know, making a report about the safety of her daughter and her grandkids," Torres said.
Court documents show Torres filed an order of protection against Gooden in 2020, alleging he attacked her on multiple occasions. Another woman filed a petition three years earlier with similar allegations.
RELATED: Friend of fallen Burnsville police officer Paul Elmstrand seeks to honor his legacy
Both petitions were dismissed, with Torres' thrown out due to what the court deemed as a lack of evidence.
Gooden had previous convictions for violent crimes and was barred from owning firearms.
Investigators are now looking into how he obtained what Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans described as "several guns and large amounts of ammunition."
Suicide prevention and domestic violence resources
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
