Two 27-year-old police officers and a paramedic were shot and killed in Burnsville, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, early Sunday morning by a suspect who was killed during the shootout.
Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge were called to a private home at roughly 2 a.m. Roughly three hours later firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, arrived; soon after that gunfire erupted; all three were killed. Seven children between the ages of 2 to 15 were barricaded inside with the suspect, CBS News reported.
Police had “spent quite a bit of time negotiating with this individual,” Superintendent Drew Evans with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stated. Police officer Sgt. Adam Medlicott was shot but was expected to survive. At 8 a.m the suspect was reported dead.
“Several officers did return fire,” Evans said. “I will note this individual had several guns and large amounts of ammunition.”
“Today, three members of our team made the ultimate sacrifice for this community. They are heroes,” Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz said. “Every day we pray that they go home to their families. And today that’s not happening. We’re heartbroken. We are going to need time to be together. Our families need time to grieve.”
Officer Elmstrand’s wife, Cindy Elmstrand-Castruita, who had known him since kindergarten and shared their 5-month-old and 2-year-old together, said, “He was the most generous, loving, patient person I’ve ever known. He could have a conversation with anyone and make them feel seen. He would drop everything to help someone who was in need, whether it be family, friend or someone on the street.”
“He was a very levelheaded person,” she continued. “He loved his job. He saw horrible things but never once did he say, would he come home complaining.”
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On Sunday, morning, before she had received news of her husband’s death, she received a text from a friend expressing sorrow. She said she thought it was some sort of mistake, but then, “I looked out my bedroom window and saw a squad car out there. I knew. That’s when I knew he was gone.”
“I think he just had to be the hero. He had to do what he thought was right to protect those little lives even if it meant putting his at risk and it breaks my heart because now he’s gone. But I know that he thought what he did was right,” she concluded.