BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA – Court records revealed that the man who fatally shot two Minnesota police officers and a first responder over the weekend was prohibited from owning a firearm and had previously attempted to overturn the lifelong state ban. The shooter, identified as Shannon Gooden, 38, reportedly had several guns and large amounts of ammunition when he opened fire on law enforcement officers while barricaded inside a home with seven children in Burnsville, Minnesota.
The children, aged between 2 and 15, were inside the home during the shooting, according to Drew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Officers were attempting to negotiate with the suspect when he began shooting, killing police officers Paul Elmstrand, 27, and Matthew Ruge, 27, as well as Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic. Another officer, Adam Medlicott, was also shot but is expected to survive.
Gooden, who was also killed during the incident, was prohibited by state law from possessing firearms after being convicted of second-degree assault in 2007. His attorney at the time attempted to reverse the ban in 2020, arguing that there was good cause to do so and that Gooden was not a dangerous criminal or a potential risk to the community. The motion was denied by a judge, with no explanation provided in the order.
The fatal shooting has been described as a “tragedy” for the families of the first responders, as well as for Gooden’s. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is currently investigating the shooting, which had no prior calls for service at the home or regarding the suspected shooter.
The incident has sparked discussions about gun ownership and the process of overturning firearm bans, as well as the impact of such tragedies on the community. It has also raised questions about the assessment of potential risks in cases involving individuals with prior criminal convictions. The community, as well as the families and loved ones of the victims, are grappling with the aftermath of the senseless violence.