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Wife of fallen Burnsville police officer Paul Elmstrand: “He had to do what he thought was right”
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — The wife of Burnsville police officer Paul Elmstrand — one of the three first responders killed over the weekend — says he would “drop everything” to help out someone in need.
Two Burnsville police officers and a paramedic were fatally shot Sunday morning after responding to a call of an armed man barricaded inside a home with family members, including seven children. A third police officer was wounded and is expected to survive. The suspect was later found dead.
The responders who were killed have since been identified by the City of Burnsville as police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth.
Paul Elmstrand’s wife, Cindy Elmstrand-Castruita, spoke about her husband with CBS News on Sunday evening. She says they went to the same schools since kindergarten and first started dating in high school. They’ve been married for five years and have two children, ages 2 and 5.
“He was the most generous, loving, patient person I’ve ever known,” she said. “He could have a conversation with anyone and make them feel seen. He would drop everything to help someone who was in need, whether it be family, friend or someone on the street.”
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Paul Elmstrand, 27, joined the Burnsville Police Department in 2017 and was promoted in 2019. Cindy Elmstrand-Castruita says she didn’t worry about him at work.
“He was a very levelheaded person,” she said. “He loved his job. He saw horrible things but never once did he say, would he come home complaining.”
She says she got up at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday to a text from a friend saying sorry for what she was going through. At the time, she didn’t know what they were talking about and thought it was a mistake.
RELATED: After 2 officers, paramedic killed in Burnsville, Minnesota, support pours in on social media
“I looked out my bedroom window and saw a squad car out there,” she said. “I knew. That’s when I knew he was gone.”
She said incidents that involved children, like the one Sunday, really “hit deep” for her husband, especially since they have two children of their own.
“I think he just had to be the hero. He had to do what he thought was right to protect those little lives even if it meant putting his at risk and it breaks my heart because now he’s gone. But I know that he thought what he did was right,” she said.
Lastly, Cindy Elmstrand-Castruita spoke on how she is getting through this loss.
“I just keep thinking about how well he loved me and how well he loved our kids and just what a privilege it is to have experienced that, because I know that so many people don’t. But me and my kids got to,” she said.
Before Sunday, four officers in the United States had been killed by gunfire this year, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Now, there are six.
MORE NEWS: Hundreds line Twin Cities streets to honor 3 Burnsville first responders killed in line of duty
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
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Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.