2 police officers, 1 firefighter dead after responding to domestic incident in Minnesota

Two police officers and a firefighter were shot and killed Sunday while responding to a distress call at a suburban Minnesota home, police and state officials said.

The shooting in Burnsville, Minn., a suburb south of Minneapolis, also left the suspect dead, police said. A third police officer was injured.

“We must never take for granted the bravery and sacrifices our police officers and first responders make every day,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “My heart is with their families today and the entire State of Minnesota stands with Burnsville.” 

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) said that police negotiated with the suspect inside the house for four hours before a SWAT team raided the building. Seven children were inside the home. 

Details on the suspect or the status of the children were not immediately clear.

City officials identified the slain officers as Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27. Firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, was also killed. 

“We are heartbroken. Our law enforcement community is heartbroken. We’re just devastated at the horrific loss,” MPPOA Executive Director Brian Peters said in a statement. 

Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who represents the area, mourned the losses.

“I’m horrified to see this kind of violence in our community,” she said in a statement. “Today serves as another solemn reminder that those who protect our communities do so at great personal risk.”