Burnsville first responder shooting: Ashley Dyrdahl gets nearly 4 years in prison
Burnsville PD: 'Closure' after woman sentenced for straw purchase
A woman was found guilty of straw purchasing the weapons that were used in a shooting that killed two Burnsville police officers and a firefighter. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has the latest report.
BURNSVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - The woman who bought the guns used to kill three Burnsville first responders will learn how much time she'll spend in prison when she's sentenced on Wednesday afternoon.
Prosecutors describe the Burnsville gunman, Shannon Gooden, as a "violent and depraved man," but say his girlfriend, Ashley Dyrdahl, "enabled" the "unthinkable act" by providing him with the weapons used to kill Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, as well as Firefighter-Paramedic Adam Finseth in February 2024.
Ashley Dyrdahl sentencing
What we know:
Dyrdahl was sentenced to nearly four years in prison and two years probation for buying the guns used to carry out the Burnsville tragedy in February of 2024.
Earlier this year, Dyrdahl pleaded guilty to two counts of straw purchasing after buying guns for Gooden. Gooden was not allowed to own firearms because he was a convicted felon.
Gooden filed a petition to get his firearm rights restored in 2020, and Dyrdahl filed a letter of support, but it was denied.
Dig deeper:
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Gooden would text Dyrdahl what type of firearms he wanted and she would purchase them.
Authorities allege Dyrdahl purchased five firearms between September 2023 and January 2024, including:
- Glock 47 9mm semiautomatic pistol purchased on Sept. 21, 2023
- Palmetto State Armory model Sabre-15 firearm lower receiver purchased on Oct. 18, 2023
- Glock 43X 9mm semiautomatic pistol purchased on Oct. 30, 2023
- Franklin Armory FAI-15 firearm lower receiver purchased on Jan. 5, 2024 (used during the Feb. 18 shooting)
- Palmetto State Armory PA-15 firearm lower receiver purchased on Jan. 25, 2024 (used during the Feb. 18 shooting)
While purchasing the firearms, the DOJ said Dyrdahl put on the forms that she was the buyer, and did not indicate she was planning to transfer the firearms to a felon.
Burnsville first responders shooting
The backstory:
Police were called to a home at 12605 33rd Ave. in Burnsville at around 1:50 a.m. on Feb. 18, 2024, on a report of a sexual assault allegation, at which point Gooden barricaded himself inside the home.
He opened fire on police, killing Burnsville Police Officer Paul Elmstrand, Officer Matthew Ruge and Firefighter-Paramedic Adam Finseth before killing himself. Burnsville Police Sgt. Adam Medlicott was also injured in the shooting.
According to federal prosecutors, during the attack on first responders, Gooden, 38, fired more than 100 rounds from two AR-15-style rifles before he turned the gun on himself. Investigators later recovered a stockpile of fully loaded magazines from a bedroom of the couple's Burnsville home, as well as additional boxes containing hundreds of rounds of ammunition.