Seven children, ages 2-15 years old, were inside the Burnsville home where two Burnsville police officers and a firefighter-paramedic were fatally shot Sunday morning.
None of the children were physically injured during the shocking ordeal that began in the middle of the night when a resident from inside the home on the 12600 block of 33rd Ave. S. called to report a domestic disturbance.
According to Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans, called the call for help involving seven children “very troubling” and noted that officers attempted to negotiate with the subject before the man opened fire, killing two officers and the medic as well as injuring another member of the Burnsville Police Department.
The suspect, who has not been identified, also died during the encounter. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday and those results will determine whether the man took his own life or was killed by officers returning gunfire.
“We still don’t know the exact exchange of gunfire that occurred,” said Evans. “Certainly several officers did return fire. And I’ll note that this individual had several guns and large amounts of ammunition and shot at the police officers from multiple positions within the home in that incident. The exact timing and cadence of what occurred will be part of our active investigation as we review video, officers’ bodycams, video that might be in the area, conduct interviews and all available evidence to really figure out exactly what occurred in this incident.”