Karl Thomas Holmberg faces 12 charges in shooting that injured 5 officers
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Updated: 4:38 p.m.
Prosecutors Friday charged a rural Benton County man with shooting five law enforcement officers during an hourslong standoff Thursday.
Karl Thomas Holmberg, 64, of Glendorado Township, Minn., faces 12 counts, including six counts of first-degree attempted murder of a police officer and six counts of first-degree assault against a police officer.
Holmberg made his first court appearance Friday afternoon. According to court documents, his bail was set at $3 million with conditions.
The criminal complaint, filed by the Benton County Attorney’s office, says that the Sherburne County Drug Task Force, along with deputies from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office were sent to 225 190th Ave. NE in rural Princeton to serve a “knock and announce narcotics search warrant.”
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The complaint says prosecutors based their charges on a preliminary investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and an initial review of body camera video.
The complaint says law enforcement approached the front door of the single story house, shouting “police, search warrant” several times while knocking on the door.
After opening the door, police again announced their presence. They heard a man responding to them.
“Within seconds, gunshots are heard,” the complaint says.
The charging document says officers fled the residence when gunshots were fired. Several listed by letters A through F in the complaint were injured in the exchange of gunfire. Authorities say they will not be named since they are members of a drug task force.
Officer A was shot in the right arm and sustained substantial injuries, and was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center and remains hospitalized.
Officer B was shot in the chest and hip and was also airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center and remains hospitalized.
Officer C was shot in the hand and transported to North Memorial Medical Center and released later Thursday night.
Officer D and Officer E were also shot, and taken by ambulance to a St. Cloud, Minn., hospital where they were later released.
Officer F was in the house during the gunfire, but was not struck.
After several hours of negotiation, Holmberg was taken into custody.
The complaint says police interviewed a woman inside the home who said she awoke to her husband saying “they” were here. He told her to look at a monitor in the bedroom, which showed an exterior camera view of the property, where she saw law enforcement. She told police Holmberg said this was his day to die and he had multiple guns laid on the bed.
When the door was kicked in, she says Holmberg repeatedly said “don’t do it, don’t do it.” She said he then began blindly shooting through the closed bedroom door with a military-style weapon, according to investigators.
The complaint says he asked her to join the fight and when she didn’t he called her a coward.
The BCA interviewed Holmberg at North Memorial Medical Center, where he said he did not think police had the right to be at his house and told them to leave.
He allegedly said he shot at the officers with a .223 rifle when they tried to enter the bedroom.
The complaint says Holmberg was shot in the foot.
In a search of the home, law enforcement found handguns, a shotgun, a .223 rifle and one of the officer’s guns. Police also found .223 shell casings in the bedroom and shell casings in the living room.
According to court records, Holmberg was convicted of one felony count of possession of a controlled substance in 1986. In 2006 he was sentenced to 60 days in jail for fifth-degree drug possession.
His next court date on the attempted murder charges is set for Oct. 24.
