When the sirens finally faded in the early morning hours of February 18, 2024, a quiet suburban street in Burnsville, Minnesota, had been transformed into a battlefield. It’s the kind of news that stops you cold. People were frantic, refreshing their feeds, asking the same desperate question over and over: who is the Minnesota shooter and why did this happen? The answer wasn't a simple one, and honestly, the details that emerged in the following days painted a chilling picture of a man who was never supposed to have a gun in the first place.
His name was Shannon Cortez Gooden.
He was 38 years old. Before that Sunday morning, most people in the neighborhood just saw him as a guy living in a large gray-and-white home on 33rd Avenue South. But by sunrise, he was responsible for the deaths of three first responders—Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and Firefighter-Paramedic Adam Finseth. Another officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott, survived his wounds.
The standoff lasted hours. It was grueling. Inside that house were seven children, ranging in age from 2 to 15. That is the part that sticks in your throat. While the world was trying to figure out the identity of the shooter, those kids were trapped inside a house that was quickly becoming a crime scene.
The legal battle before the bullets: Shannon Gooden’s history
To understand who is the Minnesota shooter, you have to look back further than just one violent morning. This wasn't a "random" snap; there was a long, documented trail of legal issues and red flags. Gooden had a lifetime ban on possessing firearms. Why? Because of a 2007 second-degree assault conviction.
He knew he wasn't allowed to have guns. He even tried to get his rights back. In 2020, Gooden petitioned the courts to restore his ability to carry firearms, arguing that he had changed and needed to protect his family. The state said no. Prosecutors pointed to a history of domestic instability and a 2017 order for protection filed by a former partner.
The court’s refusal didn't stop him.
When the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) finally cleared the house after Gooden took his own life, they didn't just find a handgun. They found an arsenal. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Multiple "AR-15-style" firearms. It raises a massive, uncomfortable question about how a man with a lifetime ban and a denied court petition managed to stockpile high-powered weaponry in a suburban cul-de-sac.
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What actually happened inside that Burnsville home?
The 911 call came in around 1:50 a.m. It was a report of a "family in danger." When the police arrived, they spent a significant amount of time trying to negotiate. They weren't just kicking down doors; they were trying to get those seven children out safely.
Gooden wasn't interested in talking.
According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Gooden opened fire from the upper floor of the home. Some reports indicate he fired from multiple positions, using the height of the house to his advantage. The officers were caught in a vulnerable spot while trying to maintain a perimeter and protect the kids.
It was a massacre.
Officer Elmstrand was 27. Officer Ruge was 27. Adam Finseth, the medic who was there specifically to save lives, was 40. He was shot while trying to provide aid to one of the fallen officers. That’s the level of bravery we’re talking about here—stepping into the line of fire with a medical bag instead of a rifle.
The straw purchaser: How the guns got there
You can't talk about who is the Minnesota shooter without talking about Ashley Anne Dyrdahl. In the weeks following the shooting, federal prosecutors dropped a bombshell. Dyrdahl, who was Gooden’s girlfriend and lived in the home, was indicted for conspiracy to provide firearms to a person prohibited from having them.
Basically, she was the "straw purchaser."
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The details in the indictment are sickeningly casual. They texted about it. They looked at guns together online. In one exchange, after Gooden sent her a photo of a semi-automatic weapon, she reportedly joked about how it would be "their little secret."
It wasn't a secret for long.
Between September 2023 and January 2024, she allegedly bought five firearms for him. She ignored the fact that he was a convicted felon. She ignored the court’s previous ruling. This is why the conversation around this shooter is so deeply tied to the legalities of gun ownership and the massive loopholes that still exist in the "private" or "facilitated" sale of weapons.
Misconceptions and the rumor mill
Whenever a high-profile shooting happens, the internet becomes a breeding ground for bad information. Early on, there were rumors that this was a "swatting" call gone wrong or that the shooter was a victim of a mental health crisis without any prior history.
Neither is true.
The "mental health" angle is often used to soften the blow, but in Gooden's case, the records show a calculated effort to bypass the law. This wasn't a sudden break from reality. This was a man who spent months coordinating the illegal acquisition of weapons while embroiled in ongoing custody disputes and domestic friction.
Another common misconception was that the children were being held as "hostages" in the traditional sense—as in, a stranger taking captives. In reality, these were his own children and the children of his partner. They were in the middle of a domestic nightmare that turned into a national tragedy.
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Key figures in the investigation
- Drew Evans: The Superintendent of the BCA who led the forensic deep-dive into the home.
- Mona Dougherty: The Dakota County Attorney who has had to navigate the local fallout of the case.
- Andrew Luger: The U.S. Attorney who took the lead on the federal straw-purchasing charges.
The lasting impact on the Burnsville community
Burnsville isn't a huge city. It’s a tight-knit suburb of the Twin Cities. The funeral for the fallen heroes was held at Grace Church in Eden Prairie, and thousands of people lined the streets. It wasn't just about the police; it was about the loss of safety.
When you look at who is the Minnesota shooter, you see a man who destroyed the peace of an entire region. The house on 33rd Avenue was eventually boarded up, but the scars on the neighborhood remain. Neighbors talk about the "pop-pop-pop" sounds they thought were fireworks. Now, every loud noise makes people jump.
The kids survived. That’s the only "miracle" in this story. They were escorted out of the home after Gooden was found dead in a bedroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. They have to live with the memory of that night for the rest of their lives.
Moving forward: What needs to change?
Honestly, this case has become a lightning rod for legislative change in Minnesota. It’s not just about the shooter anymore; it’s about the system that let him get the guns. If you’re looking for a way to make sense of this, start by looking at how your local and state laws handle straw purchases.
Minnesota has since moved to tighten regulations. There is more pressure on gun shops to flag suspicious multiple-purchase patterns. There is more scrutiny on "repetition of character" in court petitions for the restoration of rights.
Actionable steps for community awareness
- Understand Red Flag Laws: Learn how "Extreme Risk Protection Orders" work in Minnesota. These allow family members or law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from someone who poses a danger to themselves or others.
- Report Illegal Sales: If you know someone is buying firearms for a person who is legally prohibited from owning them, you can report it anonymously to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives).
- Support First Responder Mental Health: Organizations like the "Invisible Wounds Project" provide resources for those who witness these traumas. The officers who survived that night, and the dispatchers who heard it all, need long-term support.
- Monitor Domestic Volatility: Statistics show a massive overlap between domestic violence history and mass shooting events. Supporting local domestic abuse shelters like "360 Communities" in Dakota County can actually be a form of long-term violence prevention.
The story of Shannon Gooden is a grim reminder that the most dangerous threats aren't always strangers in the dark. Sometimes, they are neighbors with a history of warnings that the system failed to catch in time. Knowing who is the Minnesota shooter is the first step in making sure a tragedy like the Burnsville standoff never happens again.
To stay informed on the ongoing legal proceedings regarding the straw purchasing trial, follow the updates from the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The trial of Ashley Dyrdahl will likely set a major precedent for how these cases are handled moving forward. Keep an eye on local news outlets like the Minneapolis Star Tribune or KARE 11 for real-time court reporting as the state continues to seek justice for Elmstrand, Ruge, and Finseth.