BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The man who fatally shot two Minnesota police officers and a first responder over the weekend was prohibited from owning a firearm and had attempted to overturn the lifelong state ban four years ago, according to court records.

Shannon Gooden, 38, was identified as the shooter by the medical examiner, and authorities said he had several guns and large amounts of ammunition when he opened fire on law enforcement officers Sunday while barricaded inside a home with seven children in Burnsville, Minnesota.

The children were between the ages of 2 and 15, and authorities were attempting to negotiate with Gooden when he began shooting. He killed police officers Paul Elmstrand, 27, and Matthew Ruge, 27, as well as Adam Finseth, 40, a firefighter and paramedic. Another officer, Adam Medlicott, was shot at the scene but is expected to survive.

Gooden also died during the incident, and the medical examiner has not released his cause of death. Employed as a journeyman painter, Gooden was prohibited by state law from possessing firearms after being convicted of second-degree assault in 2007, which involved a knife.

His attorney at the time attempted to reverse the ban in 2020, arguing that Gooden was not a dangerous criminal and had completed anger management classes while incarcerated. However, a judge denied the motion to lift the ban, with no explanation provided in the order.

In an interview, the attorney said, “It’s comforting to see that the system worked,” and expressed surprise at the shooting, stating, “I probably like everyone else, whoever came across him, would have thought this is not something that would happen. There’s just no way to know.”

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating Sunday’s fatal shooting, and authorities said there had been no prior calls for service at the home or regarding the suspected shooter.