A woman from Burnsville has admitted guilt in purchasing firearms for a felon, which were later used in a fatal attack on first responders. U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced that the defendant pleaded guilty to straw purchasing multiple firearms, two of which were involved in the deaths of police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, as well as firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth, during an incident on February 18, 2024.

Court documents reveal that between September 2023 and January 2024, the defendant acquired five firearms from two federal firearms licensees. These firearms were transferred to her domestic partner, Shannon Cortez Gooden, who is legally prohibited from possessing them due to his status as a felon. Under Gooden's direction, Dyrdahl purchased these weapons knowing his legal restrictions.

Among the firearms obtained by Dyrdahl for Gooden were three semiautomatic AR-15–style firearm lower-receivers. One was a Franklin Armory FAI-15 .300 caliber semiautomatic firearm with a binary trigger capable of firing one shot upon pulling the trigger and another upon release. Dyrdahl also procured a .300 caliber barrel for this receiver and was aware that Gooden loaded it with .300 Blackout ammunition known for its increased lethality.

The attack occurred when Gooden used two of these firearms to ambush responding police officers and firefighter paramedics at his home on February 18, 2024. A large-capacity magazine was employed during the assault resulting in three fatalities and injuring another officer.

Dyrdahl entered her guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell to two counts of straw purchasing. The sentencing hearing is yet to be scheduled.

The investigation leading to this case was conducted by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Burnsville Police Department with assistance from Dakota County Attorney’s Office and Burnsville Fire Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristian Weir and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez are handling prosecution duties for this case.