The city of Burnsville on Tuesday announced the official donation sites for the families of the fallen first responders.

They also thanked the public for the “deeply appreciated” outpouring of support and contributions given already for the police officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth.

The three died in the line of duty on Sunday, fatally shot while responding to a domestic incident in this suburban community in Dakota County.

The suspect, Shannon Cortez Gooden, 38, died by suicide, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office announced early Tuesday.

Since Minnesota learned of the tragedy, people have been leaving bouquets of flowers on the men’s  at Burnsville City Hall. But now, in an update posted on its website on Tuesday, the city has announced how to direct that support going forward:

“If you would like to offer support to the families of our fallen heroes in the coming days, please direct monetary contributions to Law Enforcement Labor Services (at lels.org/benevolent-fund/).

“This site is coordinated by Law Enforcement Labor Services and contributions will be delivered directly to the families.

“This is the only contribution site we have verified on behalf of the families. Please be aware of scam fundraisers seeking to exploit this tragedy.

“For those who would like to make a non-monetary contribution as a show of support, you may bring contributions to Prince of Peace Church, 13801 Fairview Dr. Burnsville, MN 55337. More information is available at Prince of Peace’s Mission Outpost donation center (at popmn.org/mission/mission-outpost/#donate).”

More info at burnsvillemn.gov/communityupdates.

Immediate help

Also on Tuesday, the Front Line Foundation announced that it is giving a total of $60,000 in death benefits to the families of the fallen first responders.

This means that each of the three families will receive $20,000 in death benefits to support them prior to full death benefits being paid out, a news release explained.

“This payment comes at a time where grief is high and financial stress is the last thing families of the fallen need to endure,” the news release stated.

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