After eulogies for Burnsville’s three fallen first responders, ‘the nicest people,’ long procession

Mara H. Gottfried, Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press
Updated ·10 min read
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On a day when 10,000 people gathered to say good-bye to two Burnsville police officers and a firefighter, a sergeant injured in the same incident addressed his fallen colleagues: “Elmstrand, Ruge, Finseth, we were there for seven children. Nothing could be more honorable. Rest easy, brothers.”

The first responders were shot after they responded to a 911 call in Burnsville on Feb. 18. A man had barricaded himself in a home with seven children. As officers tried to convince him to surrender peacefully, he opened fire “without warning,” authorities have said.

A procession from Grace Church in Eden Prairie made its way to Burnsville and took nearly 90 minutes to pass the Burnsville police department, where people watched holding American flags, saluting and putting their hands over their hearts. There were more than 1,400 vehicles in the procession, including police and fire vehicles, ambulances, and buses carrying Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth’s families and people from various departments.

An estimated 10,000 people gathered at Grace Church and more than 300 people at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, where a live broadcast was played. There were more than 20,000 views of the livestream.

The crowd was there to “grieve the loss and honor the memories” of Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, said Chaplain Mark Patrick.

‘Standing with them on their final call’

Burnsville Sgt. Medlicott supervised both Ruge and Elmstrand on the night shift told the crowd at Grace Church he “was standing with them on their final call.”

He was one of Elmstrand’s field training officers and “although I quickly realized how smart and thoughtful Paul was, he still had his moments,” Medlicott said.

One day, they were dispatched to a report of an in-progress theft at Macy’s. They pulled up and saw a vehicle idling in front of the main entrance.

“Excitedly, Paul yells, ‘Look it’s the go-away vehicle!’,” Medlicott recounted.

He said he “looked at him in disbelief for a moment before saying, ‘It’s getaway car, Paul.’”

“It seemed like that story would come up every couple of weeks and we would have a good laugh again,” Medlicott said.

Elmstrand “was not a shy person,” Medlicott said. “Many times he would bust into my office uninvited, sit down and make himself at home just to talk or pick my brain on something.”

He was recently talking about testing for an open sergeant position and Medlicott said he would have been excellent in the role.

“I’ll miss our midnight talks, Paul,” he said.

Medlicott said he remembered the first call he went on with Ruge, who’d just completed field training. They were dispatched to a young woman who was to start an addiction program that day and a van was waiting outside to take her to the facility, but she was refusing to leave.

“I watched Matt and the new officer that I was training work through this call for a call for awhile and it was a disaster,” Medlicott said. “They didn’t know what to say or how to say it. And I remember Matt looking back at me with a face that said, ‘I don’t know what else to do.’”

Medlicott stepped in and talked the young woman out of the house and into the van for treatment. Ruge thanked him, saying, “Man, I really effed that one up,” Medlicott recalled.

“Like any other cop, I said back to him, ‘Yeah, you really did,’” Medlicott said to laughter. “But I also told him that he was young and he was new to the profession. … ‘You’ll learn, you’ll grow, you’ll get a lot better.’”

On their last call, Medlicott stood next to Ruge, “but now it was Matt that was doing all the talking. … I believed in him as a crisis negotiator. And everyone here should know, he was doing an amazing job of it. You can’t reason with evil. You didn’t eff this one up, Matt.”

“I was fortunate enough to watch both of these officers go full circle from two wide eyed, excited new cops — one who didn’t know it was called a getaway car and another who didn’t know how to talk to someone in crisis — to an officer who knew the job so well he was ready to promote and another who had just taken over a scene for multiple hours as a crisis negotiator.”

Medlicott said he didn’t know Finseth as well as the two officers, but he said, addressing the fallen firefighter/paramedic, “I saw you run into the line of fire to save me and my guys. You are the bravest person I’ve ever known. I will be forever thankful.”

Matthew Ruge

Burnsville Officer Pete Mueller and Ruge, 27, joined the department at the same time, in April 2020. They were sworn in together and became pals. Badge 183 was pinned on Ruge’s chest and Mueller received Badge 184, which made him “my senior officer,” he said in eulogizing him. “And on occasion he would sheepishly remind me of this. And then he’d needle me a little bit more by pointing out that I was very senior to him in age.”

One of Ruge’s nicknames was “The Book” because he “went by the book in every situation,” Mueller said.

Mueller said the entire department would “attest that it was impossible not to love Ruge. He was smart, self-deprecating, quick-witted, humble.”

Ruge was a hostage negotiator, “a role he served in due to his calm demeanor, his great tone and his empathy,” said Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz.

Muelller said he chose a schedule that would allow them to work together.

“I was excited to hang out with him, I was excited to listen to our partners tease him about his dating life, I was excited to hear Ruge tell stories about the time that he spent with his family and friends” in trips his old stomping grounds of Wabasha, the area where he grew up, and Mankato, Mueller said. He graduated magna cum laude from his law enforcement program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

On Feb. 18, Ruge “was extraordinarily heroic that morning,” Mueller said. “He negotiated for several hours, which bought us time. And in law enforcement we know that time is our friend. In the time that he delivered brought countless resources to the scene, which protected many of us.”

When the “unthinkable happened, Matt brought his partner Paul to safety, although he was hurt himself,” Mueller said. “And Ruge repeatedly risked his life to save our friend, and in doing so, Matt made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Paul Elmstrand

Elmstrand, 27, recently applied for the Law Enforcement Memorial Association honor guard, which helps at services like Wednesday’s. “I’m told that he would often polish his boots or practice formations and movements in the family living room,” Burnsville Deputy Police Chief Matt Smith told Wednesday’s crowd. He was notified a few weeks ago he’d been selected.

“Perhaps the theme that has come up most this week is Paul’s love for his family,” Smith said of Elmstrand’s adoration for his wife and their 2-year-old daughter and 5-month-old son.

Last year, Elmstrand was at the Minnesota Capitol for Peace Officer Memorial Day, representing the Burnsville honor guard. His wife and daughter were there, and Elmstrand cuddled with them for photos.

Later that night, Elmstrand sent Smith a photo of him holding his daughter. “A minute later came another one with a note that said, ‘All right, just one more. She’s too cute, huh?’”

Elmstrand’s commitment to honoring fallen officers and his love for his family were evident that day, Smith said.

“He wanted to provide unwavering support to … all the families of the fallen,” Chief Schwartz said. “The irony of that is not lost on me.”

Adam Finseth

Finseth, 40, was “a husband, a father, a son, a brother, … a soldier, a firefighter and a paramedic,” said Burnsville Fire Capt. Brandon Johannsen in his eulogy.

Addressing Finseth’s wife, he told her that Finseth’s bravery and courage would never be forgotten. To his two children, Johannsen said he needed to tell them their papa is a hero.

“He loves you very much,” Johannsen spoke from the altar to Finseth’s children. “He talked about you every day at work when he was not with you. It’s OK to feel sad and miss him. We can talk about him and remember the good times whenever you want. Remember that even though he’s not here with us today, he will always be with you and live in our hearts forever.”

At the firehouse, Finseth was a jokester. “That signature smirk that preceded his clever remarks will forever be etched in our memories,” Johannsen said.

He was always taking on new roles and responsibilities as a firefighter and paramedic, while taking the time to teach others.

Johannsen said he knows Finseth is in heaven, “probably looking down and thinking this is all too much. Well, brother, you deserve it. You were the best of us. We love you. We miss you. We promise to take care of the family and each other. Your legacy and impact will live on forever.”

‘Gave up their lives to protect others’

At the main entrance of Grace Church, firefighters with the Burnsville and Savage fire departments used ladder trucks to raise a large American flag over Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie. Law enforcement and other emergency workers walked in droves under the flag to file into the church.

Dozens of members of the Minnesota Patriot Guard, bundled warmly in the harsh cold of the day, lined a sidewalk around the church, holding flags and telling officers, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Grace Church filled to capacity before the service began and people were asked to watch the service on a live broadcast. Law enforcement was seen from around Minnesota, along with Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and South Dakota.

Two military personnel carried American and Minnesota flags onto the altar. Large portraits of Elmstrand, Ruge, and Finseth were propped up on the church altar, which was adorned with red and white flowers.

Two caskets with remembrances of the fallen inside were brought into the church before the service; there was not a casket for Finseth because he was buried Tuesday, though there was firefighter gear on the alter. The caskets were each draped with an American flag. At the end of the service, first responders folded the flags. “Amazing Grace” played.

Since Feb. 18, Burnsville Chief Schwartz said she has seen “the worst and the best of what the law enforcement calling brings.”

“As I struggled to make sense of what happened that morning, I was reminded that Paul, Matt and Adam were doing what they were called to do, which was protecting those in harm’s way,” she said. “They give up their lives to protect others and to protect each other.”

Deputy Police Chief Smith told the crowd he knows it’s cliché, but he also said it’s true: “These three men really were the nicest people.”

After the memorial service, three helicopters — from the Minnesota State Patrol, Life Link and North Memorial Health Air Care — flew overhead and there was a 21-gun salute from the roof of the church.

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