US: Thousands gather to pay respects to three officers killed in Minnesota shooting

A vigil was held on Sunday evening for the three first responders who lost their lives in a domestic abuse incident in the US state of Minnesota.

The deceased were transported in an emotional convoy from a hospital in downtown Minneapolis to the Minnetonka medical examiner's office.

A large group of law enforcement officers stood to salute them as their caskets, draped in American flags, were carried into vans outside Hennepin Healthcare on Sunday afternoon.

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Thousands gathered to pay their respects during the 16-mile walk through metro streets. On an overpass, firefighters saluted their fallen comrades from the top of their vehicles.

What happened?

A domestic abuse incident escalated into a deadly armed encounter in Minnesota on Sunday (Feb 18) after a man shot dead two Burnsville police officers and one paramedic.

The shooter, who has not yet been publicly identified, barricaded himself inside a house in Burnsville with multiple children early on Sunday morning. Three first responders were killed and one was injured when the confrontation turned into a gunfight.

The state officers said that the assailant was dead and the seven children trapped inside the house, all ranging between two to 15, were all safely rescued.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz released a statement saying that the two police officers, Paul Elmstrand, 27, and Matthew Ruge, 27, along with fire paramedic Adam Finseth, 40, were killed "while responding to a call of a family in danger."

"This is heartbreaking," Walz told a press conference Sunday evening.

Emergency dispatch got a call on Sunday from inside a home in Burnsville at around 1:50 am "where a man was reported to be armed and barricaded with family members," said Drew Evans, superintendent at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

"We later learned that there were seven young children in the home, ranging from ages 2 to 15 at the time this event occurred. When officers got to the scene, the individual was barricaded and they spent quite a bit of time negotiating with this individual who was barricaded in the home, and additional officers responded, at that time," Evans said.

"At one point during that barricaded situation, the subject opened fire on the officers in the home and officers Elmstrand, Ruge, and Finseth from the fire department, Mr. Finseth. were killed by the gunman during the response. One other officer, Sergeant Adam Medlicott was injured and was shot as well where he's suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but has been treated, is in the process of being treated. At approximately 8 am, the subject was reported to be deceased in the home, and later that morning those other children and family members were able to escape from the home,” he added.

The investigation

Numerous firearms were recovered from the property, however, the authorities did not specify if the weapons were pistols or more powerful semi-automatic rifles.

"We are in the very beginning stages of this investigation," Evans said.

"Today three members of our team made the ultimate sacrifice for this community. They are heroes," Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz told reporters.

Shooting incidents are more common in the United States where there are more guns than people and one-third of adults possess a handgun.

(With inputs from agencies)