Dear John,

My heart is heavy today. We are a community in mourning. We are grieving the tragic loss of Burnsville Police Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth and we are praying for the recovery of Police Sergeant Adam Medlicott.

It’s hard to make sense of a tragedy like this, when members of our community are lost in a senseless act of violence. Paul, Matthew and Adam should be here with their families today.

Adam, Paul and Matthew – you are tremendously missed. To their families and loved ones, we do not pretend to understand what you are going through. To the Burnsville public safety community, your families suffered a tremendous loss as well. Your community is here for you: whether it be today, or in the years to come.

The public safety community and their families demonstrate a level of commitment and bravery that most of us can never truly comprehend. They put themselves in incredibly dangerous and unpredictable situations on a daily basis – for the sake of keeping their community safe. They are heroes. We can never say thank you enough.

I’ve been moved by the tremendous outpouring of support and love we’ve seen from Minnesotans over this past week. Thank you to everyone who has showed up in one way or another.

I’ve been in Minnesota myself this week – spending time with law enforcement across our district. I attended community gatherings in Burnsville, joined a Cottage Grove police officer for a ride along, met with the Dakota/Washington County Drug Task Force and sat down with Washington County police chiefs to hear about their needs.

We can honor Paul, Adam and Matthew in many ways – and one of them is by supporting law enforcement and getting them the resources they need to get the job done. That’s what I’ll continue to do.

There are still tough days ahead as these heroes are laid to rest next week. Please keep them, their families, the Burnsville Police and Fire Departments and City Staff – and the entire community in your thoughts and prayers.

With a heavy heart,
 

Angie Craig

Member of Congress