The names of three Minnesota police officers killed in the line of duty last year have been engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. and they’ll be remembered in ceremonies this week.

Burnsville Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matt Ruge were fatally shot by a suspect during a standoff, while multiple children were in the home, in February 2024. Burnsville Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth also lost his life in the incident.

In Minneapolis, Officer Jamal Mitchell was shot in killed last May.

More than 160 Burnsville officers and family members traveled to D.C. “with generous donations” from Burnsville residents, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Burnsville Police and Fire Foundations and donors across the country, according to a statement from Burnsville police.

Photos of Burnsville police officers, from left, Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth are displayed during a community vigil Feb. 20, 2024, at the Burnsville Police Department/City Hall. (Mara H. Gottfried / Pioneer Press)

“Paul and Matt were incredible police officers who worked tirelessly to keep our community safe,” Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz said in a statement. “They were dedicated officers, teammates and friends to everyone who served alongside them. They saved the lives of seven children that tragic day and their sacrifices will never be forgotten, their lives will always be remembered, and their spirit will live on in our department and our community.”

Surrounding police departments are working in Burnsville for officers while they’re attending the memorial. Allowing Burnsville officers to gather “as part of a larger police family is an important part of grieving, healing, and remembering,” Schwartz said.

National Police Week

Mitchell, Ruge and Elmstrand are among 148 officers who died in the line of duty in  2024 and whose names were added to the memorial, along with 197 names from previous years. They are being recognized during National Police Week.

In D.C., there will be a candlelight vigil at the memorial at 7 p.m. CST Tuesday. Livestreaming links can be found at nleomf.org/events.

In Minnesota, the St. Paul Police Department will hold its annual Memorial Day service at noon Wednesday; it’s usually held in Mears Park but will be at the Minnesota Peace Officers Memorial on the state Capitol grounds this year.

Also at the state memorial site, the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial Association will host its annual service at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Finseth was memorialized at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Maryland on May 3 and May 4, and his name was unveiled at the memorial there.

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Today is Monday, May 12, the 132nd day of 2025. There are 233 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 12, 2008, a devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China’s Sichuan province left more than 87,000 people dead or missing.

Also on this date:

In 1780, the besieged city of Charleston, South Carolina, surrendered to British forces in one of the worst American defeats of the Revolutionary War.

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In 1846, the pioneers of the Donner Party left Independence, Missouri, on the Oregon Trail, beginning their ill-fated attempt to migrate to California.

In 1932, the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was found in a wooded area near Hopewell, New Jersey.

In 1933, the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration established both the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, which provided federal funding to states for relief programs, and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, which provided economic support to farmers through agricultural surplus reductions.

In 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade, which the Western powers had succeeded in circumventing with their Berlin Airlift.

In 1975, members of the new Khmer Rouge-led Cambodian government seized an American merchant ship, the SS Mayaguez, in international waters, sparking a three-day battle that resulted in the deaths of 41 Americans.

In 1982, in Fatima, Portugal, security guards overpowered a Spanish priest armed with a bayonet who attacked Pope John Paul II. (In 2008, the pope’s longtime private secretary revealed that the pontiff was slightly wounded in the assault.)

Today’s Birthdays:

Hockey Hall of Famer Johnny Bucyk is 90.
Musician Steve Winwood is 77.
Actor Bruce Boxleitner is 75.
Actor Gabriel Byrne is 75.
Singer Billy Squier is 75.
Basketball Hall of Fame coach George Karl is 74.
Country musician Kix Brooks is 70.
Actor Ving Rhames is 66.
Actor-filmmaker Emilio Estevez is 63.
Chef/TV personality Carla Hall is 61.
Actor Stephen Baldwin is 59.
Skateboarder Tony Hawk is 57.
Actor Kim Fields is 56.
Actor Rhea Seehorn is 53.
Actor Malin Akerman is 47.
Actor Jason Biggs is 47.
Actor Rami Malek is 44.

Toronto Sceptres coach Troy Ryan used the word “chaotic.”

Frost coach Ken Klee said it was a fan’s dream and a coach’s nightmare.

In other words, anything but a typical, low-scoring playoff hockey game. In the end, it was the Frost who were able to smile through the pain, coming out on top, 7-5, on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center to take a 2 games to 1 lead in the best-of-five series.

The Frost know they have a lot to clean up heading into Game 4 on Wednesday at Xcel, but just as importantly, they know they are one win away from advancing to the PWHA finals. A loss would send the teams back to Toronto for a deciding Game 5.

“It was just one of those crazy games,” Klee said. “There were bounces hitting our players and going in, bounces hitting their players and going in. It was just one of the nights where … I don’t really know how to describe it. I’ve never been a part of a game like that before.”

The Frost had three three-goal leads — 3-0, 5-2 and 7-4 — but couldn’t shake the Sceptres. The last eight minutes of the game were nail-biting time for the Frost after the Sceptres made it a 7-5 game.

“We knew we had to keep scoring because apparently they were going to keep scoring, as well,” Klee said. “I never thought it would be a race to six to get the win, but we know there’s no quit in them.”

The Frost got offensive contributions from throughout their lineup. Brooke McQuigge and Michela Cava each had a pair of goals. Taylor Heise had three assists. Twelve Frost players registered at least one point.

“We know our depth is one of our strengths,” Klee said. “We try to rely on it when we need to.”

The Frost got off to a blistering start, taking a 3-0 lead in the first eight minutes on goals by Liz Schepers, McQuigge and Lee Stecklein. It was all part of a concerted effort to jump on the Sceptres early.

“We came off a long trip so we wanted to make sure we came out and started the right way and got the crowd into it early,” Schepers said. “Little did we know that it was going to start off all these goals.”

McQuigge scored her first goal when she redirected a centering pass from Grace Zumwinkle. Her second came on a second rebound as she crashed the paint on a Frost power play to give the Frost a 4-2 lead.

“She’s been a beast in front of the net for us all year,” Klee said. “Her second-effort goals — she’s had a tremendous year for us. When we drafted her we thought she was going to be a player who could add some sandpaper to our group. And she also has a good scoring touch and shoots the puck well.”

Both of Cava’s goals came in the third period, building the Frost’s lead from 5-4 to 7-4.

“She’s a highly skilled player and she loves the big moments,” Klee said. “She loves to play in the playoffs. She made a couple of great plays.”

As much as the Frost have enjoyed their offensive outburst the past two games (they won 5-3 in Game 2), they know they have to make sure they are meeting their standards in the other phases of the game, too.

Closing out the series on Wednesday likely will call for a better performance than they produced in Game 3.

“We knew going into Toronto that it would be tough to take two games there,” Schepers said. “So, I think we just need to stick with playing our game and not worry about playing an elimination game. Just stick with the plan and try to get the win on Wednesday and not have to travel again.”

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A man was fatally shot Sunday in Burnsville, according to Burnsville Police.

Officers reported at 1:28 a.m. in an X post, that the shooting occurred at a residence in the Chancellor Manor complex off of Irving Ave South. The victim was identified by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office as 22-year-old Ahmed Abdinaasir Noor.

Noor was taken to the hospital with apparent gunshot wounds, according to the X post. The medical examiner’s report states the case is a homicide and that a gunshot wound to the chest resulted in the fatality.

The investigation is ongoing. Officials ask that people avoid the area until additional information is provided.

The Eagan Police Department is leading the investigation because Burnsville officers and detectives are in Washington, D.C., for memorial events, according to a Burnsville police spokesman. Surrounding police departments are covering for Burnsville officers while they are gone.

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