Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena issued the following statement:
“Shannon Gooden was convicted by my office in 2008 of second-degree assault — a felony offense — prohibiting him from possessing firearms. In 2020, Mr. Gooden filed a petition to have his gun rights restored. My office opposed the petition and the court sided with my office and denied it. Tragically, the efforts of my office were negated due to the actions of Ashley Dyrdahl.
Ms. Dyrdahl was well aware Mr. Gooden was prohibited from possessing firearms as she filed an affidavit in support of his petition of restoration. As she stated in her affidavit about Mr. Gooden, “Family is everything to him and that is why these rights are so meaningful to him. He hopes to one day own his own home and protecting that home involves having these 2nd Amendment rights.”
In retrospect, it was the seven children in his home who needed protection from him. Ms. Dyrdahl is the reason why Mr. Gooden had an arsenal of firearms in his possession that resulted in the murder of three of Dakota County’s finest and the injury of another as they selflessly acted to protect those children.
Under Minnesota law, an illegal firearm purchase — or a straw purchase — is only a gross misdemeanor level offense, punishable by a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail, a $3,000 fine or both. To charge that level of crime under the facts and circumstances of this case would be a disgrace to the memories of our fallen heroes.
The Minnesota Legislature needs to take action to increase penalties for straw purchasers under state law. The federal law under which Ashley Dyrdahl has been indicted provides a road map to do so.
I wish to thank U.S. Attorney Andy Luger and his staff for their determination and tenacity in seeking an indictment in this matter; and doing so in an expeditious manner. I also wish to thank the Minnesota BCA and the ATF for their outstanding work in investigating this case.
