Officer Matthew Ruge remembered by hometown as ‘friend to everyone’

WABASHA, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Burnsville Police Officer killed in the line of duty was remembered during a vigil Wednesday night in his hometown of Wabasha, Minnesota.

Matthew Ruge, who was killed alongside fellow officer Paul Elmstrand and firefighter-paramedic Adam Finseth, was honored by friends and loved ones. One speaker calling him ‘a friend to everyone.’

"He did a lot of good," said one of his friends. "I’m just hurt to see that he won’t be around to do any more good because his heart was full of it."

The vigil took place under the Wabasha-Nelson Bridge, with law enforcement from Wabasha and surrounding communities lining the main street.

Ruge graduated from Wabasha-Kellogg High School in 2015. He went on to get a degree in law enforcement from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

His loved ones say as far back as they can remember, Ruge wanted to be a police officer.

"That’s just the kind of person he was," he said. "He wanted to help people, no matter the cost to himself."

Ruge’s parents were in attendance at the vigil, but did not speak publicly.

The 27-year-old had been with the Burnsville Police Department a little less than three years. City officials say he was a member of their crisis negotiation team.