Burnsville Gunman’s Live-In Partner Named in Federal Indictment

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) -A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against the longtime live-in partner of the man who murdered two Burnsville police officers and a fire department paramedic last month.

US Attorney For Minnesota Andrew Lugar announced the indictment at a news conference this morning. He says 35-year-old Ashley Dyrdale faces "one count of conspiring with Shannon Gooden to violate federal firearms laws, five counts of being a straw purchaser of firearms, and five counts of lying on the ATF federal form required when purchasing a weapon"

Gooden took his own life after he fatally shot Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and Rochester native and Burnsville Fire Department paramedic Adam Finseth after they responded to a domestic incident involving a number of children on February 18th. Lugar says Gooden killed the first responders using two AR-15 style rifles allegedly purchased by Dyrdale on his instructions.

READ MORE: BCA-Rochester Native Adam Finseth Was Shot While Aiding Officers

Lugar says the indictment is the result of investigative work by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with assistance from the ATF that he described as "nothing short of brilliant." He says BCA investigators uncovered evidence that Drydale purchased five firearms for Gooden, between September 2023 and January 2024.

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Lugar says the AR-15 style rifles used to kill the officers and the paramedic were purchased on January 5 and January 25 of this year. He also says the evidence shows Dyrdale was well aware that Gooden was a convicted felon and was prohibited from possessing any firearms. He described her actions as a "reprehensible disregard for public safety and the law."

BCA superintendent Drew Evans also spoke of the news conference. He noted that, since the beginning of this year, 18 Minnesota law officers and one paramedic have been shot in the line of duty and for of them died. He says the investigation and prosecution of Dyrdale is "one step toward holding those accountable that participate in providing weapons that leads to these types of actions"

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