BURNSVILLE, Minn. — Shannon Gooden spent a lot of time in the Minnesota court system to ensure his five kids would spend as much time with him as possible.
"The only thing I have to say is: The court system failed my children," said Noemi Torres, who feels let down by the court system that put her kids primarily in the care of Gooden - the man who killed police officers Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth.
"I felt super lost (in the legal system.) I felt like I didn't have a voice. They say Minnesota is a 'woman's state' and I was like, Where? Torres said.
Torres dated Gooden from 2007 to 2016. She is the mother of three of Gooden's children.
Gooden also had two kids with Ashley Dyrdahl, who he started dating in 2016.
Dyrdahl has two kids from a prior relationship. She lived with him at the time of the shootings and is the one who made the 911 call to bring Burnsville police there 10 days ago.
Gooden's custody fights actually started with Dyrdahl.
Court documents indicate that in 2017, the couple broke up for a period of time and Gooden filed for full custody after his Dyrdahl was arrested for DWI with the kids in the car. The judge's order says Gooden and Dyrdahl agreed it was in the child's best interest for Gooden to receive full custody. The couple reunited sometime after that, and they had another child. Dyrdahl and her four children were living in the house when Gooden killed the first responders.
As for Torres, after she and Gooden broke up Torres had full custody of her kids for four years. But in 2020, he filed a petition for sole custody.
"The way he made it seem or portrayed to the world is he's this perfect person and he's living the life and he just made it seem like everything in his life is perfect," Torres said.
Gooden claimed Noemi was "leaving the children unattended at all hours of the night/day," which was something she contested at the custody trial.
Torres didn't have a lawyer and Gooden did. She agreed to joint custody, but Gooden wanted more.
Court documents show Gooden had a high-paying stable job, and that Noemi lived a distance away in Saint Paul with less reliable transportation. Gooden also raised concerns about her history of depression and marijuana use.
"He got tested, then I got tested... and clearly, I smoke weed, so it's going to come up," she said.
But Torres still thought the judge would see Gooden's issues were worse than hers.
"He was controlling; he was all the umbrella of being a domestic violence individual," Torres said.
Torres and Dyrdahl each separately filed domestic violence petitions for orders for protection against Gooden, but both were denied.
However, his conviction for a felony assault in 2008 banned him from having guns, a fact not noted by the custody judge.
"They still felt like he was a better fit. Even with domestic violence. Police being called," Torres said.
Judge Mark Ireland wrote Noemi's life was less stable and Gooden was in a better position to provide for the kids' needs. The judge awarded joint custody, making the kids' primary home with Gooden for stability during the school year.
Noemi says that was a huge mistake. And now her kids are recovering from severe trauma from the shooting their father carried out.
"Just trying to get them mental health, get them as much help as possible," Torres said.
Noemi now has custody of her children and very soon the case at Ramsey County Court is expected to be closed for good.
Torres has a GoFundMe page set up to help support her children.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: