The girlfriend of the man who fatally shot Burnsville first responders last month has been indicted for straw purchasing multiple firearms for him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Minnesota announced Thursday.
Burnsville police officers Matthew Ruge and Paul Elmstrand and Burnsville firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth were fatally shot in the line of duty on Feb. 18. Shannon Gooden, who authorities have said was the gunman, died by suicide.
Ashley Anne Dyrdahl, 35, has been indicted for straw purchasing multiple firearms for a felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Two of the firearms were used in the Feb. 18 killings, said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger.
Gooden had a lifetime ban on possessing firearms after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to assault with a dangerous weapon.
Between Sept. 21 and Jan. 25, Dyrdahl conspired with Gooden “to place firearms in Gooden’s hands, despite the fact Gooden could not legally own or possess firearms,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Dyrdahl and Gooden were in a relationship since 2016. When Gooden filed a petition in court to have his firearm rights restored, Dyrdahl was among the people who filed a letter in support of his petition. The Dakota County attorney’s office opposed Gooden’s effort and a judge agreed he shouldn’t have his firearm rights restored.
Dyrdahl was in the process Thursday morning of surrendering to the U.S. Marshals Office. She is due to make her first court appearance Thursday afternoon. Luger said his office won’t be seeking pretrial detention.
The maximum penalty if Dyrdahl is convicted is 15 years in prison, Luger said.
On Feb. 18, Burnsville police were dispatched to the 12600 block of 33rd Avenue South at about 1:50 a.m. “regarding an alleged sexual assault,” a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent wrote in an application for a search warrant. Dyrdahl made the 911 call, she previously told the mother of Gooden’s older children.
Police who responded to the home spoke with Gooden, 38, who wouldn’t leave the residence but said he was unarmed. He said he had children inside. Five were his and Dyrdahl are his girlfriend’s children from a previous relationship.
Officers went inside and negotiated with Gooden for about three and a half hours, trying to get him to surrender peacefully, but he opened fire at 5:26 a.m. on the officers inside the home “without warning,” according to the BCA.
Gooden continued to fire shots out of the home at officers and an armored vehicle, which had personnel inside. He shot more than 100 rifle rounds at law enforcement and first responders, the BCA has said.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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