- Written by James Fitzgerald
- bbc news
image source, Minnesota Department of Public Safety/Reuters
Police officers Paul Elmstrand (left) and Matthew Ruge (right) and EMT Adam Finseth (center) were shot and killed.
Minnesota State Police say two police officers and a paramedic were killed in a shooting at a residence.
The gunman barricaded himself in a Burnsville home with seven children and opened fire as officers tried to negotiate with them.
The dead police officers were named Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and the paramedic was named Adam Finseth, 40.
The incident also resulted in the death of the suspect, who received a domestic violence call early Sunday morning.
Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz said the entire department is “hurt,” and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called it a “tragic loss for our state.”
State authorities said officers were called to an address in Burnsville, a city about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis, around 1:50 a.m. local time (7:50 p.m. Japan time). .
Supt Drew Evans of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation said they were responding to a “report of a domestic situation” involving an armed man.
Responders later learned that seven children, ranging in age from 2 to 15, were also “barricaded” on the property. They continued to spend “a significant amount of time negotiating with this individual.”
The gunman then opened fire, killing all three victims and sustaining non-life-threatening injuries to a fourth officer named Adam Medlicott.
Details of what happened next are still unclear, but Supt Evans admitted police had “fired back”. Local media reported that the gunman committed suicide.
Supt Evans said he had “several guns and a large amount of ammunition” and fired shots at first responders from various parts of the house.
His name has not yet been revealed. He was found dead around 8 a.m., and the other residents of the home were able to escape unharmed.
Neighbors in the quiet residential area said they felt fear as the incident escalated. Jason Skog recalled seeing a large police and SWAT presence in his neighborhood.
He described the sounds of explosions and gunshots and said it was immediately clear that “something bad was going on.”
While an investigation into what happened continues, tributes have been paid by local and international emergency services. A candlelight vigil was held for the victims Sunday night.
The incident came days after another mass shooting in another Midwestern state. One person was killed and 21 injured in Missouri.
The victim was in the crowd watching the victory parade by the Kansas City Chiefs after the NFL team won the Super Bowl earlier this month.
Two teenagers have been charged in connection with the attack.
