The wife of a Burnsville, Minn., police officer who was shot and killed during a domestic response over the weekend is speaking out about how her husband was a “hero.”
Burnsville Police Officer Paul Elmstrand was killed Sunday along with fellow police officer Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth in an incident in suburban Minneapolis. Officials said a gunman barricaded himself inside the home with his family in the early morning hours and opened fire on first responders, who was found dead several hours later.
Cindy Elmstrand Castruita said she woke up around 7:30 a.m. Sunday and received a text message from a friend expressing remorse for what she had gone through, according to CBS News.
“I looked out my bedroom window and saw a police car there,” she told the network. “I knew it. That’s when I knew he was gone.”
Minnesota shooting incident: 2 police officers responding to domestic call in Burnsville, paramedics confirmed dead
Officer Paul Elmstrand, 27, of the Burnsville Police Department was killed on Sunday, February 18th while responding to a domestic situation call regarding a gunman barricaded in a residence. (City of Burnsville)
According to CBS News, Cindy and Paul were high school sweethearts and have been married for five years and have two children, a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old.
“He was the most generous, loving and patient person I have ever known,” Elmstrand-Castruita said. “He could talk to anyone and make them feel seen. He would drop everything to help someone in need, whether it was a family member, a friend, or someone on the street. ”
“He was a very level-headed person,” she told CBS News. “He loved his job. He saw horrible things, but he never went home complaining.”
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Enforcement Director Drew Evans said Sunday that seven children, ranging in age from 2 to 15, were barricaded in the home at the time of the shooting. Police were first on the scene just before 2 a.m. and all arrived at the scene.The children escaped safely just after 8 a.m.
Pennsylvania authorities identify police officer injured in gunfight
A police vehicle with what appears to be bullet holes is towed near the scene where two police officers and an emergency worker were shot and killed in Burnsville, Minnesota, on Sunday, February 18, 2024. (AP/Abby Parr)
“I think he had no choice but to be a hero. He had to do what he thought was right to protect a little life, even if it meant putting himself in danger. Now. I’m heartbroken that he’s gone, but I know he was thinking, “What he did was right,” Elmstrand-Castruita told CBS News. He is said to have told
According to the Associated Press, Evans said he was at the scene helping injured police officers when Finseth was shot.
Evans said the suspect had several guns and a large amount of ammunition and fired at officers from multiple locations in the home, including on the upper and lower floors. Evans said at least one police officer was shot inside the home.
People attended a candlelight vigil in Burnsville Sunday night in response to a mass shooting in suburban Minneapolis. (AP/Abby Parr)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The suspect’s identity has not been released and the motive for the shooting is unknown. The Burnsville Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Monday.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
