Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge Obituary – A tragic incident unfolded at a Waffle House restaurant in Indianapolis early Monday morning, resulting in the loss of one life and injuries to five others. This unfortunate event occurred amidst a weekend marred by gun violence in the United States, following a mass shooting during a celebration for the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVIII.
According to the Indianapolis police, they received a distress call around 12:30 am and promptly arrived at the southside Waffle House, where a total of six individuals had been shot. While the exact sequence of events is still under investigation, it is unclear whether any of the victims discharged their firearms during the altercation between two groups.
Authorities have revealed that a critically injured woman succumbed to her wounds at the hospital, while three men and one woman are currently recovering from gunshot injuries in nearby medical facilities.
Indianapolis Police Captain Don Weilhammer shared preliminary information with Fox59, stating that the incident originated as a disturbance that escalated into a physical confrontation between the two groups. Law enforcement recovered at least one handgun at the scene of the Waffle House, and another firearm was found in a vehicle at a local hospital.
Tragically, this shooting occurred shortly after two police officers and a firefighter-paramedic lost their lives, with another officer sustaining injuries, while responding to a domestic violence call in Burnsville, Minnesota, early Sunday morning.
The Minnesota incident unfolded around 2 am when police were summoned to a residence where an armed man had barricaded himself with family members. As the first responders entered the home, the individual opened fire, resulting in the fatal shootings of officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27 years old, as well as firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth, 40.
The suspect responsible for the shootings was also killed during the incident. Sources have identified the shooter as Shannon Cortez Gooden, 38, who had reportedly sought to have his gun rights restored in 2020 following a felony assault conviction in 2008.
In a separate development, a family court in Kansas City announced on Friday that two juveniles had been charged in connection with a deadly shooting that occurred at the conclusion of an event.