
Minnesota Woman Who Supplied Gun to Killer of Rochester-Born Firefighter, Police Officers Pleads Guilty
St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News)- The woman accused of supplying the killer of two Minnesota police officers and a firefighter/paramedic who grew up in Rochester has pleaded guilty.
Read More: Rochester Native Among Three First Responders Killed in Minnesota Shooting
That’s according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Minnesota on Wednesday.
Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27-years-old and 40-year-old Adam Finseth, who graduated from Rochester John Marshall, lost their lives in the Burnsville shooting on the morning of February 18, 2024.
First responders were dispatched to a residence in the Twin Cities suburb for a domestic assault involving child hostages. Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth were then shot and killed by 38-year-old Shannon Cortez Gooden, who later took his own life.

Court records indicate Gooden was ineligible to possess a firearm due to a prior felony conviction.
Minnesota Woman Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchasing Firearms Used in First Responder Killings in Burnsville
Gooden's domestic partner, identified as 36-year-old Ashley Dyrdahl of Burnsville, bought him five firearms at this direction and transferred the guns to him, federal court documents say.
Three semi automatic AR-15–style firearm lower-receivers were among the firearms Dyrdahl straw-purchased for Gooden, the news release says.
Gooden used a large-capacity magazine during the ambush of the first responders, according to federal court documents. A federal grand jury indicted Dyrdahl about a month after the shooting.
See Also: Appeal Filed Over Light Sentence in Rochester Murder Case
Dyrdahl pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of straw purchasing. She is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date.
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Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper
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