Vigil Planned Wednesday Evening in Wabasha For Fallen Officer

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Burnsville, MN (KROC-AM News) - A procession of law enforcement and public safety vehicles escorted the remains of two slain Burnsville Police Officers today.

The escort followed a route from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office to a funeral home in Jordan.

A community vigil is taking place this evening in Burnsville and another is planned tomorrow evening in Wabasha as Minnesotans continue to mourn the deaths of three first responders.

Burnsville Police Officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand, who were both 27 years old and Burnsville Fire Department paramedic 40-year-old Adam Finseth were killed in the line of duty early Sunday while responding to a domestic situation in the Twin Cities suburb. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office today stated that all three died from multiple gunshot wounds.

The medical examiner also released the name of the man responsible for their deaths. An autopsy determined 38-year-old Shannon Gooden committed suicide and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The vigil in Wabasha was scheduled because Officer Ruge moved to the community as a child and graduated from Wabasha-Kellogg High School in 2015. The community gathering will take place under the bridge in Wabasha beginning Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

The slain paramedic grew up in Rochester and graduated from John Marshall High School in 2001. Adam Finseth was also an Army veteran who served two tours of duty in Iraq. He served on the Savage Fire Department before joining the Burnsville Fire Department in 2019.

City of Burnsville

An obituary says Officer Elmstrand's funeral will be held on Saturday in Long Lake. The father of two young children lived in Chaska but grew up in North Branch and graduated from Cambridge-Isanti High School.

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