Burnsville honors slain first responders with Public Safety Memorial Day
The city of Burnsville, Minnesota, is honoring three fallen first responders on Tuesday, which marks one year since they were killed by a gunman during a standoff.
Investigators say Shannon Gooden fatally shot police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth on Feb. 18, 2024. A reported sexual assault brought first responders to Gooden's residence, leading to an hourslong standoff where Gooden fired more than 100 rounds at authorities, according to investigators.
In addition to the three responders killed, Gooden struck Sgt. Adam Medlicott, who survived his wounds. Gooden then fatally shot himself, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz has made Feb. 18 Public Safety Memorial Day in honor of Elmstrand, Finseth and Ruge. Three wreaths are on display outside of City Hall for 24 hours, all city buildings will be lit in blue and red and the city's flag will fly at half-mast for the day. The public is welcome to stop by City Hall through 10 p.m.
It's a day clouded by tears of grateful community members like Sara Rodesch.
"It's hard knowing that these men and women put their lives on the line every day to keep the community safe, but they give their all, and sometimes they lose their lives in the process," Rodesch said. "It's just difficult to express when you know there's people who are going home to their families."
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Kautz paid tribute to the heroes for rushing towards a scene where seven children were inside and in danger, and for giving their lives to make sure they all made it out safely.
"Let us channel our grief and gratitude for the time we had with these remarkable individuals, and let us let our commitment to honoring their memory by embodying the qualities they represented: courage, integrity and love for our fellow human beings," Kautz said.
Kautz was joined by several city leaders to commence Tuesday's memorial events, including Police Chief Tanya Schwartz and Fire Chief BJ Jungmann.
"I'm still at a loss to try to comprehend this unthinkable tragedy," Jungmann said. "The truth is I may not ever fully understand it. I do know this for certain though — we will continue to work to heal together and support each other."
Schwartz says while Tuesday is an "extremely emotional" day, she wants the community to know the city's first responders are healing and "finding hope in the future."
"We find comfort in caring for our fallen families, and we are just in awe of the strength and the resilience that they have for caring about us as well. And they've lost more than we can all ever imagine, so we hold them close to us as we walk along this new path together," Schwartz said.
Anyone who wants to honor the memories Elmstrand, Finseth and Ruge with a financial contribution are encouraged to donate to the Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police and the Burnsville Police and Fire Foundation.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
