New details about the incident have shed light on who was responsible for shooting and killing two police officers in Burnsville, Minnesota on Sunday. The attacker had a criminal record and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Shannon Cortez Gooden (38 years old) used several firearms to kill the three officers who had arrived at his house to respond to a domestic violence complaint.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed the identity of the man who was behind the standoff that occurred in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday, which left three first responders fatally injured.
Shannon Gooden, a 38-year-old woman, was killed after she fatally shot Burnsville police officers Matthew Ruge, Paul Elmstrand, and Adam Finseth, a firefighter, paramedic, and paramedic. Sgt. Adam Medlicott, who was also injured, has been released from the hospital.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office reports that Gooden’s cause of death was suicide.
BCA reports that Gooden barricaded his home in Burnsville early on Sunday morning. Gooden’s girlfriend, along with seven children ranging in age from 2 to 15 years old, were also inside.
BCA reports that all members of Gooden’s family have left the house safely.
According to an affidavit submitted by the BCA, the standoff began when police were summoned to the house “regarding a sexual assault allegation”.
Gooden barricaded himself in a bedroom. The officers began negotiating with him for his surrender but he “did not cooperate”, according to the affidavit.
The document stated that Gooden had shot the officers before dawn with “what was believed to be multiple firearms”, and injured the officers and paramedic.
A drone was used by law enforcement to find Gooden in his bedroom dead from a gunshot wound he had self-inflicted in the head.
The officers who were killed have been identified as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge. Both are 27 years old. Adam Finseth was the paramedic, and he was 40 years old. Sgt. Adam Medlicott, who was wounded but not killed, is recovering at home.
A community-wide outpouring was triggered by the killings. Grace Church, Eden Prairie, held a joint memorial service.
Gooden’s turbulent past adds yet another layer of complexity to this tragedy. In 2008, Gooden was found guilty of a crime after he pulled out a 7-inch knife in a fight and threw rocks at the vehicle of a woman during a confrontation at a shopping mall. In 2004 and 2005, he was arrested for disorderly behavior.
His violent past made it illegal for him to possess firearms.
Gooden has also been accused of domestic violence multiple times.
According to court records, Gooden was the subject of two orders for protection. One petition alleged domestic abuse while the other alleged domestic assault. According to the Associated Press, the standoff between Gooden and police occurred just two days before a district court hearing scheduled over the ongoing legal disputes he has with the mother of three of his oldest children.
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In 2017, the mother at least of one of Gooden’s children claimed that Gooden had headbutted her, causing her to suffer a black eye and concussion. She also said Gooden threw the woman down the stairs. The court dismissed the case because the woman did not appear in court.
In 2020, at least three children’s mothers claimed that Gooden had cut their mother’s clothes with a blade, which caused her to fall. She said Gooden also pulled her hair, threw her against a wall, and let his family assault her. The woman alleged that Gooden would kill her if she didn’t stop him, but the court dismissed this court action as the allegation was not proven.
Burnsville is still dealing with the effects of this senseless tragedy. While it mourns the three men’s deaths, it also raises awareness of the issue of domestic violence.
