1 of 3 Burnsville shooting victims was Northfield resident

A Northfield resident was one of three first responders killed in Sunday’s shooting in Burnsville.

Matthew Ruge, 27, purchased a home on Edgebrook Drive in Northfield in 2021. He was the sole owner of the home, according to property records, and Northfield was listed as his city of residence at the time of his death.

Ruge grew up in Read’s Landing, north of Wabasha.

“It was a pleasure to know him,” a family neighbor told KARE 11 Monday . “I’m so proud of what he turned out to be — such a wonderful young man. It’s just a darn shame.”

He attended Wabasha-Kellogg High School before going to study law enforcement at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He graduated from MNSU in 2018 and joined the Burnsville force in April 2020. He was part of the crisis negotiation team.

Investigation

Authorities continue to investigate as people across Minnesota and beyond continue to mourn after Sunday’s shooting in Burnsville that left three first responders dead.

Burnsville police officers Paul Elmstrand and Ruge, both 27, and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, were killed while responding to a call about a man barricaded in a home with seven children inside.

Another officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, 38, was injured. The city of Burnsville reported Monday that he has been released from the hospital.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Monday confirmed the identity of the heavily armed man police encountered during the six-hour standoff as Shannon Cortez Gooden, 38.

Gooden also died in the incident. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner issued a report early Tuesday saying he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Court records show Gooden was ineligible to own firearms and tried unsuccessfully to regain his gun rights in 2020.

Community members continued to gather at a memorial outside Burnsville City Hall on Monday, placing flowers and cards on two Burnsville police squads and a fire-paramedic vehicle.

Mary Schrader was among those who visited to show support for the first responders’ loved ones.

“I just hope the families know how much we appreciate them and keep them in our prayers,” she said. “Because they they have to know that their sacrifice did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. And their kids need to know that their dads are heroes.”

There was a procession through the south Twin Cities metro late Monday afternoon as Finseth’s body was transported from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office to a funeral home in Jordan.

The city of Burnsville announced Tuesday morning that contributions to support the families of the three fallen emergency responders should be directed to the Law Enforcement Labor Services Benevolent Fund.

“This is the only contribution site we have verified on behalf of the families,” the city posted on its website. “Please be aware of scam fundraisers seeking to exploit this tragedy.”

Memorial and funeral services for Finseth, Elmstrand and Ruge are pending.