# Paul Elmstrand *Burnsville police officer; one of three first responders killed on February 18, 2024.* Paul Elmstrand was a police officer in [[Burnsville]], [[Minnesota]]. On February 18, 2024, he was killed with Burnsville officer [[Matthew Ruge]] and firefighter-paramedic [[Adam Finseth]] while answering a sexual assault report at a home where seven children were present.[^1] A federal indictment later charged a Burnsville woman with straw purchasing firearms used in the fatal shooting of the three first responders.[^2] The shooter, [[Shannon Gooden]], was barred for life from possessing firearms by a 2007 Dakota County assault conviction. In 2020 a [[Dakota County court]] denied his petition to restore his gun rights after prosecutors opposed it.[^1] He nonetheless had five guns.[^1] The pack documents the court's denial, the shooting, and the straw-purchase prosecution. It does not establish how each of the five firearms reached him.[^1][^2] ## Who - Paul Elmstrand, a Burnsville police officer, was one of three first responders killed. The other two were Burnsville officer Matthew Ruge and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth.[^1][^2] - The shooter was Shannon Gooden, 38.[^1] - [[Ashley Dyrdahl]] of Burnsville was indicted for straw purchasing firearms used in the shooting.[^2] She was later sentenced to 45 months.[^3] ## What - The three first responders were killed while responding to a sexual assault report.[^1][^2] - Gooden was subject to a lifetime firearms prohibition from a 2007 Dakota County assault conviction.[^1] - Gooden petitioned a Dakota County court to restore his gun rights. Prosecutors opposed the petition, and the court denied it.[^1] ## When - 2007: Gooden's Dakota County assault conviction, which barred him from possessing firearms for life.[^1] - 2020: Gooden petitioned to restore his gun rights, and the petition was denied.[^1] - February 18, 2024: Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth were killed.[^1] - March 14, 2024: Dyrdahl was indicted for straw purchasing.[^2] - September 10, 2025: Dyrdahl was sentenced to 45 months.[^3] ## Where - The shooting took place at a home in Burnsville.[^1] - The 2007 conviction and the 2020 denial were in Dakota County.[^1] ## How - The federal case against Dyrdahl concerns straw purchasing of the firearms used in the shooting.[^2] It was resolved by a 45-month sentence.[^3] ## How many - Three first responders were killed.[^1][^2] - Seven children were present at the home.[^1] - Gooden had five guns.[^1] - Fox 9 reported Dakota County data showing 27 petitions as of February 2024, in the context of Gooden's firearm-rights restoration denial.[^1] ## In the at-issue record The project's *Dakota Claims Exposure Matrix* (September 2, 2026) carries this case as item AI-Dakota-029, in its section "II. The Use-of-Force Ledger." The item places two documented outputs side by side. In 2020 the Dakota County court denied Gooden's petition. In February 2024 he held five guns.[^1] The entry anchors the item to the White House presidential action *Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System* (May 2026).[^4] The entry's stated reason for the pairing is that a prohibition the purchase channel ignored is a verification failure at the transaction. That is the project's analysis, not a finding by a court or agency. The pack does not quote the text of the presidential action.[^4][^2] ## Notes [^1]: Fox 9, *Burnsville gunman wanted his firearm rights restored. This is why the system blocked him* (undated in pack) — reports the February 18, 2024 shooting and the first responders killed, Gooden's 2007 conviction and lifetime prohibition, the 2020 petition denied over prosecutor opposition, the five guns, and the Dakota County figure of 27 petitions as of February 2024. https://www.fox9.com/news/burnsville-gunman-wanted-his-firearm-rights-restored-this-is-why-the-system-blocked-him [^2]: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, *Burnsville woman indicted for straw purchasing firearms used in fatal shooting of three first responders* (March 14, 2024) — establishes the federal straw-purchase indictment of Ashley Dyrdahl. https://www.atf.gov/news/press-releases/burnsville-woman-indicted-straw-purchasing-firearms-used-fatal-shooting-three-first [^3]: CBS News Minnesota, *Ashley Dyrdahl sentencing* (September 10, 2025) — reports the 45-month sentence. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/ashley-dyrdahl-sentencing-burnsville-first-responder-shooting/ [^4]: The White House, *Restoring Integrity to America's Financial System* (May 2026) — the presidential action the project cites as the anchor for item AI-Dakota-029. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/05/restoring-integrity-to-americas-financial-system/