A straw purchase made at a local gun shop and range in January was one of the weapons utilized by Shannon Gooden in a fatal Burnsville standoff earlier this month. The weapon, an AR-15 lower receiver, was reportedly purchased from The Modern Sportsman in Burnsville, according to WCCO Senior Investigative Reporter Jennifer Mayerle.
Someone is engaging in a straw purchase when they lawfully acquire a firearm on behalf of another individual who is not authorized to do so, for example, a person with a violent crime conviction. Straw purchases are illegal in Minnesota and are punishable by law as a serious misdemeanor.
Gooden opened fire during a standoff on Sunday, February 18, killing police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge as well as fireman and paramedic Adam Finseth.
The order originated from out of state, according to John McConkey, proprietor of The Modern Sportsman, who informed Mayerle. The buyer was required to complete the paperwork and then pick up the pistol from a dealer.
The gun was passed from Gooden to the non-Gooden person by the Modern Sportsman. McConkey informed Mayerle that the straw buyer took the pistol themself and that the cashier had asked the right questions to verify the buyer’s identity. He complimented the individual’s understanding and the way they addressed his questions. The lower receiver of the AR-15 was collected on January 5, 2024.
Ammunition and guns were confiscated from Gooden. He had already asked the courts to reinstate his ability to bear arms in 2020. The petition was rejected by the judge in October 2020.
The petition was rejected by the county attorney, who stated that the petitioner has not yet proven he is capable of properly possessing firearms due to his history of lawbreaking and potential danger to public safety, together with a negligible amount of time that has passed.
The fact that Petitioner will never be able to own guns again is an inevitable result of his violent crime, something he should have thought about before he did it. According to the search warrant, Gooden used “what is believed to be multiple different weapons” to shoot at the police.
Gooden discharged over a hundred rounds from his weapon during the event. At the site, investigators found a plethora of ammo and multiple firearms. After serving with the Burnsville Police Department since 2017, Elmstrand, who is 27 years old, was promoted in 2019.
The University of Minnesota Police Department also had him on staff part-time. The Burnsville Police Department welcomed Ruge, who is 27 years old as well, in 2020. This city has been home to Finseth, a 40-year-old fireman and SWAT paramedic, since 2019.
He served in the Army and has worked with the fire departments of Savage and Hastings. Along with the other wounded service members, Sgt. Adam Medlicott was treated and discharged from the hospital.
On Wednesday morning, there will be a public funeral to honor the three fallen first responders. At 11 a.m., there will be a combined funeral at Eden Prairie’s Grace Church. Private funerals have been arranged for each victim by their family as well.
The medical examiner concluded that Gooden committed suicide. An investigation into the altercation is underway by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. In the wake of the murders, some legislators are considering reintroducing gun restriction legislation in Washington.
The Democratic-Flexible Legislative Caucus (DFL) was instrumental in passing a red flag statute and an additional background check measure during the previous legislative session. The pro-gun lobby was vehemently against both of these.
Two bills from last year never made it to a vote. Among these, there is a measure that would mandate the instant reporting of any stolen or lost firearms and stricter regulations for the storage of firearms.
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