Man who killed first responders in Minnesota was prohibited from possessing firearms, court records say

Andy Rose, CNN
·2 min read
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The man who police say killed three first responders in Burnsville, Minnesota, Sunday during a lengthy standoff killed himself, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Shannon Cortez Gooden, 38, died by suicide, according to a release Tuesday morning from the Medical Examiner of Hennepin, Dakota and Scott Counties. The report says the cause of death was “gunshot wound of the head.”

Gooden had “several guns and a large amount of ammunition” while barricaded in his home, according to Drew Evans with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge were shot to death, along with emergency medical technician Adam Finseth. Seven children were inside the home, but unhurt.

Dakota County court records show that Gooden was prohibited from possessing firearms following a second-degree assault conviction in 2008.

Gooden was sentenced to probation in that case, which expired in 2013. A judge discharged probation and restored Gooden’s voting rights, but the written order stated, “This does not entitle this person to ship, transport, possess, or receive a firearm for the remainder of the person’s lifetime.”

Gooden filed a petition in 2020 asking for his gun rights to be restored, with his attorney writing, “Mr. Gooden has clearly been rehabilitated.”

“I greatly regret and have learned from the poor decisions of my past,” Gooden stated in an affidavit to the judge. “I would like to have a second chance to prove myself as a productive member of society.”

The Dakota County District Attorney’s Office objected to the request.

“Petitioner has had additional encounters with police, involving assaults, disorderly conduct, and numerous traffic violations demonstrating a continued disrgard to obey the law,” Assistant County Attorney Amelia Jadoo wrote in a court filing.

Gooden’s petition was denied without comment by District County Judge Dannia Edwards.

CNN reached out Tuesday to Mathew Higbee, the attorney who represented Gooden in his effort to have his gun rights restored, and did not immediately receive a response.

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