Man Sentenced to 76 Years for Shooting Officers During Raid
A 66-year-old man was sentenced Friday to more than 76 years in prison for opening fire on a team of law enforcement officers in Benton County in 2023.
Officers from the Sherburne County Drug Task Force and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office were serving a narcotics search warrant when the man began shooting.
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According to court records, a judge imposed three consecutive prison terms of 306 months each—one for each of the three officers who were injured in the Oct. 2023 shooting. Those sentences total 918 months, or 76½ years, with additional convictions ordered to run concurrently.
A Benton County jury in August found Karl Thomas Holmberg guilty of fifteen counts, including multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer and first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, as well as second-degree drug possession. He later pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm as a prohibited person.
From Midwest Crime: Video of the Benton County Raid
The convictions stem from an incident on Oct. 12, 2023, when members of the Sherburne County Drug Task Force and Benton County Sheriff’s Office attempted to serve a search warrant at Holmberg’s home on 190th Avenue Northeast. Prosecutors said he fired 28 rounds from a .223 rifle through his closed bedroom door, hitting five of the seven officers inside. Three of them suffered significant injuries—one spent nearly two weeks hospitalized and underwent several surgeries on his arm.
READ MORE > Benton County coverage
In its sentencing memorandum, the state argued that Holmberg’s actions justified consecutive sentences because he committed violent crimes against multiple victims, causing devastating and lasting harm to those struck. Defense attorneys urged the court to impose concurrent terms, contending that the gunfire lasted less than a minute and that Holmberg did not know how many officers were present. They argued that consecutive sentencing would “unfairly exaggerate the criminality of his conduct” given the confusion and chaos of the moment.
The judge sided with the state’s position, ordering consecutive sentences on the three counts involving officers who suffered great bodily harm and concurrent terms on all other counts, including attempted murder and drug charges. Holmberg received credit for 751 days already served in custody and was ordered to provide a DNA sample and pay restitution, which will be determined within 60 days.
Under state law, he must serve at least two-thirds of his total sentence—more than 50 years—before becoming eligible for supervised release.
