Star Tribune
Shooter in Burnsville killings possessed firearm illegally through ‘straw purchase’
One of the guns seized by law enforcement in the home where Shannon Gooden shot and killed two Burnsville police officers and a firefighter/paramedic was bought illegally in what is called a “straw purchase,” according to the owner of the gun shop where the weapon was obtained weeks before the shooting.
John McConkey told the Star Tribune that an AR-15 lower receiver was picked up by the purchaser at the Modern Sportsman Gun Shop and Range in Burnsville, roughly 6 miles from where Gooden unleashed more than 100 rounds of gunfire during an hours-long standoff on Feb. 18 in the 12600 block of S. 33rd Avenue.
The lower receiver generally contains the assault-style rifle’s serial number and is the central part in which the firearm’s other components attach to make the weapon function.
Gooden, 38, lost his right to possess a firearm after his conviction in 2008 for second-degree assault in Dakota County. In August 2020, Gooden petitioned the court in vain to regain his right to have a gun. He explained that he wanted to protect himself and his family, according to court records.
McConkey added Tuesday that he does not know whether that weapon, among multiple firearms found in Gooden’s home, was fired during the standoff or mortally wounded any of his victims, officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, 27, and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth, 40. Gooden then fatally shot himself while seven children were in the home.
The lower receiver “was purchased from an out of state online retailer and shipped to our shop for transfer” to the buyer, McConkey said. “The purchaser passed the [FBI] background check and took possession of the firearm on January 15th.”
McConkey emphasized that his gun shop “had no way of knowing the lower receiver would end up in a convicted felon’s/prohibited person’s possession. [Gooden] was not there during the transfer process, nor was his name on any of the enclosed documents.”
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently raised concerns about guns being stolen from lawful owners, manufacturers or licensed dealers across the country. People who are prohibited from purchasing firearms sometimes turn to legal buyers with clean criminal histories to purchase weapons on their behalf, a practice referred to as “straw purchasing.”
The person who picked up the firearm is now “under investigation for committing a felony straw purchase,” he said. “We are working closely with the BCA [Bureau of Criminal Apprehension] and cannot release any more information at this time due to this being an ongoing investigation.”
BCA spokeswoman Bonney Bowman declined Tuesday to confirm McConkey’s account, saying, “Due to the active nature of the investigation, I’m not able to share any additional details at this time.”
The BCA’s investigators seized several firearms and a large amount of ammunition at the scene of the standoff. They also recovered cartridge casings that showed Gooden had fired “more than 100 rifle rounds at law enforcement and first responders,” an agency statement released last week said. The BCA has yet to disclose how Gooden came to illegally possess the guns and ammunition.
The deadly standoff began after police were called about “an alleged sexual assault allegation,” according to a search warrant affidavit filed last week by the BCA, which has not offered a possible motive for the shooting.
A memorial service for Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Eden Prairie in the Grace Church’s 4,300-seat auditorium. The service can also be watched on a livestream. Afterward, a procession following the funeral for three first responders will make its way from the church to Burnsville. The public is invited to line the route to show their support for the fallen, city officials said.
Star Tribune staff writer Stephen Montemayor contributed to this report.
The fledgling Minneapolis “safety-beyond-policing” department, which has been accused of mismanaging contracts with violence interrupters, is again under scrutiny for requesting nearly $1 million for a business owned by the sister of one of its staff members.
Unanswered questions about the Black Business Enterprises Fund and the purpose of the contract have repeatedly delayed a City Council vote on the contract.
Neighborhood Safety Director Luana Nelson-Brown came before the council’s administration oversight committee on Oct. 7 to argue for giving the business a one-year, $992,400 contract for “capacity building and compliance consulting services.” Black Business Enterprises Fund would use the money to employ a team of 17 experts to coach violence interrupters on financial literacy and how to comply with government accounting requirements.
“A good financial system allows organizations to track their spending accurately, ensuring that funds are used properly and enabling them to prepare regular reports that meet government expectations,” Nelson-Brown said. “It also streamlines invoice reimbursements, which allows us to make more timely payments, and it is necessary for audits and evaluation of program success. I also want to note that these are all things that have been identified as weaknesses.”
Nelson-Brown said the need for the contract is underscored by a lawsuit that accused the city of arbitrarily awarding millions of dollars to violence prevention groups without proper accounting, as well as the “Safe and Thriving Communities” report on building a comprehensive model of public safety. The city commissioned the Harvard University report after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
City Council members have also been pushing for greater accountability in the Neighborhood Safety Department, particularly after a whistleblower complaint shared with council members this year questioned the relationships between contract recipients and department staff. One of the whistleblower’s claims had to do with Black Business Enterprises Fund owner Nancy Korsah, and her sister, Neighborhood Safety Department staffer Georgia Korsah.
On Oct. 7, council members asked Nelson-Brown about that relationship, whether the business had experience working with nonprofits — particularly those that provide violence prevention services — and whether it is an organization capable of helping others build theirs.
Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw said she wasn’t aware of what the Black Business Enterprises Fund had done besides “having a gala.” Council Member Jeremiah Ellison said a review of the organization’s website raised a “red flag.”
A motorcyclist set off a three-vehicle crash on a central Minnesota highway and was killed, officials said Monday.
The wreck occurred about 10:40 p.m. Sunday north of Royalton on Hwy. 10, the State Patrol said.
The motorcyclist was heading east on Hwy. 10 and struck a fish house being pulled by a pickup truck driver. The motorcyclist, a 27-year-old man from Sauk Rapids, Minn., was thrown from his bike and struck a median pillar.
A car heading in the same direction hit the motorcycle.
Occupying the pickup were a 46-year-old driver from Rice, Minn., and a 43-year-old passenger, also from Rice. The car’s driver, a 34-year-old woman from Cobalt, was her vehicle’s only occupant.
Identities of all the people involved in the crash have yet to be released, and there is no word yet on whether anyone was injured other than the motorcyclist.
A motorist died Sunday morning after striking a deer on a northwest metro freeway and then getting rear-ended by a second driver, the State Patrol said.
Julie Terwey, 60, of South Haven, Minn., was driving east on Interstate 94 near Brockton Lane in Maple Grove when she struck a deer at about 5:25 a.m. She was stopped in the center lane when she was hit from behind by a second driver, the patrol said.
Terwey, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene, the patrol said.
The driver who collided with Terway’s Ford Escape, Jordan Land, was taken to a hospital with noncritical injuries, the patrol said.
Land, 32, of Becker, Minn., was wearing a seat belt, the patrol said.
Alcohol was not a factor in the predawn crash, the patrol said.
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