Suspect dead amid shooting that killed officers, 1 first responder

A call for help from a home in suburban Minneapolis early Sunday turned deadly for two police officers and a first responder who were shot and killed, according to officials. A suspect in the shooting also died, officials said.

The deaths in Burnsville, Minn., were confirmed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Assn.

Negotiations with a suspect went on for four hours before a SWAT team entered the home, where seven children were inside, the association said. It wasn’t immediately known if any of the children were harmed.

Details on how the suspect died were not immediately released.

City officials identified the slain officers as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27. Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic, was also killed. Another police officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, was injured and being treated at a hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.

“We are heartbroken. Our law enforcement community is heartbroken. We’re just devastated at the horrific loss,” Brian Peters, executive director of the police association, which represents public safety professionals in the state, said in a statement.

The shooting happened in a tree-lined neighborhood with two-story homes. A police armored vehicle parked nearby had bullet damage to its windshield, but there was no confirmation on whether that was the result of the incident. The street was lined with police cars, firefighters and ambulances.

Burnsville police, fire and city officials, including the mayor, didn’t immediately return phone or email messages seeking comment.

“Horrific news from Burnsville,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on Facebook.

“We must never take for granted the bravery and sacrifices our police officers and first responders make every day. My heart is with their families today and the entire State of Minnesota stands with Burnsville,” he wrote.

Burnsville, a city of around 64,000, is about 15 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.

A call for help from a home in suburban Minneapolis early Sunday turned deadly for two police officers and a first responder who were shot and killed, according to officials. A suspect in the shooting also died, officials said.

The deaths in Burnsville, Minn., were confirmed by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Assn.

Negotiations with a suspect went on for four hours before a SWAT team entered the home, where seven children were inside, the association said. It wasn’t immediately known if any of the children were harmed.

Details on how the suspect died were not immediately released.

City officials identified the slain officers as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27. Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic, was also killed. Another police officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, was injured and being treated at a hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.

“We are heartbroken. Our law enforcement community is heartbroken. We’re just devastated at the horrific loss,” Brian Peters, executive director of the police association, which represents public safety professionals in the state, said in a statement.

The shooting happened in a tree-lined neighborhood with two-story homes. A police armored vehicle parked nearby had bullet damage to its windshield, but there was no confirmation on whether that was the result of the incident. The street was lined with police cars, firefighters and ambulances.

Burnsville police, fire and city officials, including the mayor, didn’t immediately return phone or email messages seeking comment.

“Horrific news from Burnsville,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on Facebook.

“We must never take for granted the bravery and sacrifices our police officers and first responders make every day. My heart is with their families today and the entire State of Minnesota stands with Burnsville,” he wrote.

Burnsville, a city of around 64,000, is about 15 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.