The man suspected of fatally shooting two Burnsville police officers and a Fire Department medic had a previous criminal conviction and accusations of violent outbursts against two women with whom he shared children, and was barred for life from owning firearms.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner confirmed Monday that Shannon Cortez Gooden, 38, was the suspect in the killing of three emergency responders inside a Burnsville home early Sunday. Authorities say he then took his own life. The deaths of the officers and medic prompted an outpouring of grief from law enforcement and Minnesotans alike, the latest in a string of violence toward first responders in the region in recent months.

Along with officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, Gooden is accused of wounding 38-year-old Sgt. Adam Medlicott. Officials said Monday that Medlicott was treated at HCMC and is now recovering at home.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office disclosed Monday that Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth were all declared dead from homicide at HCMC between 6:33 a.m. and 6:46 a.m. on Sunday. Ruge was shot in the chest. Multiple gunshots hit Elmstrand, and Finseth was shot in the right arm and torso, the examiner’s office said.

Read more…