Shannon Gooden shot at Burnsville first responders with "multiple weapons," search warrant shows
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — A search warrant filed Wednesday reveals new details about the killings of three first responders during a standoff in Burnsville last weekend.
A sexual assault allegation brought authorities to the Burnsville home early Sunday morning, where they made contact with Shannon Gooden and the person who reported the assault, according to the warrant.
"At one point during the incident, Gooden retreated into a bedroom and barricaded himself," the warrant states. "Officers negotiated for Gooden to surrender, but he did not cooperate."
Sometime after that, Gooden shot at officers with "what is believed to be multiple different weapons," according to the warrant. Gooden's gunfire killed Burnsville police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, as well as Adam Finseth, a paramedic and firefighter.
After Gooden opened fire, officers shot back, according to the warrant, causing Gooden to retreat into a bedroom.
Authorities then sent a drone into the bedroom, where they found Gooden dead. A medical examiner's report said he died by suicide.
Seven children were in the home with Gooden during the standoff. The search warrant filed Thursday seeks to extract information from the phone of the mother of three of the children. An online fundraiser has been set up for all of the children involved.
A joint public funeral for Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth is planned for Feb. 28 at Grace Church in Eden Prairie.
Sgt. Adam Medlicott was also injured in the shooting. He has since been released from the hospital.
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.
