Minnesota
Thousands expected at memorial service for three slain Minnesota first responders – The Boston Globe
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) â Thousands of law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics are expected to pack a Minnesota church on Wednesday for a memorial service for three first responders who were gunned down while responding to a report of a domestic incident at a home with seven children inside.
The Minneapolis suburb of Burnsville has been in mourning in the week and a half since police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, were slain. Investigators say Shannon Gooden, 38, opened fire on them without warning during a standoff at his home, then later killed himself.
âOn February 18th, our worlds were completely shattered. It was the darkest day in our police and fire department history. And it is still nearly impossible for us to comprehend,â Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz said at a briefing on service arrangements Monday, as she thanked the community for its outpouring of support.
The service will be at the nondenominational Grace Church in suburban Eden Prairie, one of the largest churches in the Minneapolis area. Because of the overflow crowd expected there, officials have encouraged the public to instead watch the livestream from home or at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville. The livestream will be viewable on the Grace Church website and its YouTube channel.
A procession of public safety vehicles will head from the Eden Prairie church after the service to Burnsville, where it will pass a fire station, police headquarters and the Burnsville church. Officials encouraged people to line the route to pay their respects.
âSo much of this memorial service will be like nothing Minnesota has ever seen,â Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesperson Howie Padilla told reporters, citing the expected attendance of not only law enforcement officers but firefighters and paramedics as well.
Authorities have made only limited information about the incident public, citing the ongoing investigation.
According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is leading the investigation, police were dispatched to the home around 1:50 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 18. Gooden refused to leave but said he was unarmed and that he had children inside. Officers entered and negotiated with him for about 3 1/2 hours to try to persuade him to surrender. But just before 5:30 a.m., the BCA says, Gooden opened fire on officers inside without warning.
The BCA said Elmstrand and Ruge, and Sgt. Adam Medlicott, 38, are believed to have been first shot inside the home. Medlicott and another officer, who was not injured, returned fire from inside the home, wounding Gooden in the leg.
Ruge and Medlicott were shot a second time as officers made their way to an armored vehicle in the driveway, according to the BCA. Finseth, who was assigned to the SWAT team, was shot while trying to aid the officers, it said. Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth were pronounced dead at a hospital. Medlicott survived and is recovering at home.
The BCA said Gooden had âseveral firearmsâ and shot more than 100 rounds before killing himself. A court document filed by a BCA agent said the initial 911 call was âregarding an alleged sexual assault allegation.â Authorities have not provided further details about that.
Court records show Gooden wasnât legally allowed to have guns because of his criminal record and had been entangled in a yearslong dispute over his three oldest children. The children in the house were ages 2 to 15 years.
Minnesota
Man, 29, drowns in northern Minnesota lake
A 29-year-old man drowned at a lake in northern Minnesota on Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office said the man drowned at the swimming area at Little Emily Lake Park. The man was at the park with family and friends at the time.
First responders arrived at the scene to try and rescue him, but he was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the sheriff’s office said.
Little Emily Lake is about 40 miles north of Brainerd.
Minnesota
Kendall Qualls wins GOP endorsement for governor
Minnesota
If Nolan Teasley is the “primary football executive” in Minnesota, Seahawks will get compensatory picks
The hiring of Seahawks assistant G.M. Nolan Teasley as the Vikings’ new G.M. will carry a specific benefit for his former team.
Per the league, Teasley qualifies as a diverse candidate under the NFL provision that gives the former team of a newly-hired G.M. or head coach a pair of third-round compensatory draft picks.
The only question is whether Teasley will be Minnesota’s “primary football executive.” That requirement prevented the Bears from receiving the compensatory draft picks when assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham was hired to be the Falcons G.M. The league decided that president of football Matt Ryan is the “primary football executive” in Atlanta.
The Bears appealed the decision to the league, and Bears fans continue to be mystified by the outcome — especially since Ryan has made it clear that Cunningham is a General Manager “in every facet of the word.”
Minnesota has no similar position to Ryan’s job with the Falcons. The only alternative to Teasley would be coach Kevin O’Connell. But there has been no indication that, moving forward, O’Connell will emerge as the top football executive for the Vikings, with full control over the roster and the draft.
The NFL’s full collection of diversity of initiatives have recently come under attack by Florida’s attorney general. The Seahawks getting two extra third-round draft picks undoubtedly will spark a reaction from those who, in the current climate, attack efforts aimed at enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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