'A light in hard times': Burnsville police officer Paul Elmstrand recalled as loving husband, father with a unique laugh

Burnsville police officer Paul Elmstrand was a devoted husband and father with a strong sense of duty who was on the way to career as a policeman even as a teenager, when he joined his high school's law enforcement club.

"He'd look you right in the eye and say hi," recalled Mark Solberg, the former activities director at Cambridge-Isanti High School. "A lot of kids don't do that. They just keep walking. That was always impressive to me — that here's this guy walking by and saying hello. Because if he said hello to me, he was probably saying hello to everybody else."

Close friend Mike Seafolk said that seriousness of purpose came leavened with a serious sense of humor.

"Paul's unique laugh brightened everyone's lives around him," Seafolk wrote in an email to the Star Tribune. "Using his witty sense of humor, Paul was always a light in hard times, using his gifts to lift up those around him. Everyone who called Paul their friend knew how pure his selfless heart was, and how special he was to those he loved."

Elmstrand and his colleagues, officer Matthew Ruge and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth, were fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence incident in Burnsville Sunday morning.

Elmstrand, 27, grew up in rural Isanti County. Solberg, said Elmstrand was senior class president, a member of the student council, a National Honor Society member and volunteered with a program to help ninth-graders acclimate to high school.

In high school, Elmstrand participated not just in law enforcement club but also the Isanti County Law Enforcement Explorers program, which gave students a first-hand look at law enforcement, according to Press Publications.

Jennifer Magnuson coached Elmstrand in tennis and knew him as a friend of her son and a hardworking kid with a strong sense of ethics — an important trait when you're making your own calls in a match.

"I think what stood out about Paul is his ethical integrity: he was passionate about what he was doing when he was playing, yet he was truthful and honest," Magnuson said.

In his senior yearbook, Elmstrand, along with another classmate, was highlighted for his unique laugh.

That's something Seafolk remembers about his close friend. The two became friends in high school, were roommates in college and were in each other's weddings. Seafolk described Elmstrand as a devoted husband, loving father and a Godly man.

Elmstrand and his wife, Cindy Elmstrand-Castruita, went to the same schools from the time they were small children, and began dating in high school, she told CBS News in an interview.

"He was the most generous, loving, patient person I've ever known," she told CBS. "He could have a conversation with anyone and make them feel seen. He would drop everything to help someone who was in need, whether it be family, friend or someone on the street."

The couple both went on to college at the University of Northwestern from Cambridge-Isanti High School. They married in 2018, and had two children together: a 2-year-old girl and 5-month-old boy, according to a Facebook post from the University of Northwestern alumni page.

Elmstand joined the Burnsville Police Department as a community service officer in 2017. In 2019, he was promoted to officer. He served on the department's Honor Guard, field training unit, mobile command staff and peer team.

He was also a part-time officer with the University of Minnesota police, providing public safety services during events at the stadium, homecoming and events.

The Law Enforcement Labor Services Benevolent Fund is accepting donations on behalf of Elmstrand, Ruge and Finseth's families.

Editor's note: The Star Tribune's obituary for Adam Finseth can be found here. An obituary for Matthew Ruge will also be published Wednesday.