The trial starts Monday for the 66-year-old Princeton, Minn., man accused of shooting five officers who came to his home to serve a warrant in October 2023.
Karl Thomas Holmberg was charged with 16 felonies, including seven counts of first-degree attempted murder of a peace officer, as well as counts related to illegal possession of drugs and firearms.
Just after 7 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2023, officers from Benton and Sherburne counties served a narcotics warrant at Holmberg’s home in the 200 block of 190th Avenue in Princeton, according to charges filed in Benton County District Court.
Law enforcement yelled “police, search warrant” multiple times while knocking on the door; within seconds of entering the house, Holmberg reportedly fired off several rounds and officers retreated from the house, the complaint states.
Holmberg’s wife, Dorine, told police her husband began shooting “blindly through the closed bedroom door” with a military-style rifle and said it was “his day to die,” the complaint states. Karl Holmberg was arrested after several hours of negotiation.
Inside the home, officers found handguns, a shotgun and a rifle in the main bedroom; they also found methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia, the complaint states.
The narcotics search warrant was issued following a monthslong investigation where investigators allegedly bought methamphetamine from one of the Holmbergs at the house on multiple occasions.
Of the seven officers in the house, five were shot, including one who was hit in the right arm and underwent five surgeries as of December 2023. Another was shot in the chest and hip, causing a fractured pelvis and bruising to his lung, the complaint states.
