Man faces attempted murder charges in shooting of 5 Benton County officers
BENTON COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - The man accused of shooting and injuring five officers in Benton County Thursday allegedly told his wife it was "his day to die" before firing at law enforcement, court records detail.
Karl Thomas Holmberg, 64, faces six counts of first-degree attempted murder of a peace officer and six counts of first-degree assault using deadly force against a peace officer for allegedly shooting at law enforcement as they were executing a search warrant.
Court documents filed in Benton County court Friday explain members of the Sherburne County Drug Task Force attempted to execute a search warrant at Holmberg’s residence on the 200 block of 10th Avenue Northeast in Princeton when five officers were shot.
Holmberg’s wife told authorities she was woken up by Holmberg stating "they were here" and saw multiple guns on the bed. The wife checked the security camera and saw law enforcement outside, and he indicated it was "his day to die," charges read.
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Authorities then announced their presence and entered the home. The six officers approached the closed bedroom door, and as they tried to go inside, Holmberg allegedly started "blindly shooting." His wife said he asked her to "join the fight" and called her a "coward" for not doing so, court records explained.
Officers exchanged gunfire and retreated from the home. Five officers were injured in the shooting. One officer suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, another was shot in the chest and hip, and a third officer was shot in the hand. All three officers were airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center, but court records state the third officer has since been released.
Two other officers were shot in their bulletproof vests and transported to a St. Cloud Hospital but were later discharged. The sixth officer was not injured.
Holmberg was later taken into custody after a standoff with authorities. He told investigators he suffered a gunshot wound to the foot during the encounter, according to court records.
While processing the crime scene, charges state law enforcement found "numerous guns" in the bedroom, including an officer’s gun, handguns, a shotgun, and a rifle. Authorities have not said what the search warrant was related to.
Holmberg is set to make his first court appearance Friday afternoon.