Wife fatally shot by husband under no-contact order: court documents

A Minnesota woman was shot and killed by her husband during a “domestic incident” while he was under a court order banning him from contact with her, according to court documents.

Sarah Carda, 35, was fatally shot by her husband in their home in Fish Lake Township, Minnesota.

According to a statement from the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Mike Larry Carda, 39, has been charged with second-degree murder, attempted murder, second-degree assault, domestic violence with a firearm and fourth-degree assault on a peace office).

At the time of the fatal shooting last week, Carda was involved in a domestic violence case with his wife and was subject to a “domestic violence no-contact order,” according to the probable cause affidavit filed Monday.

A preliminary autopsy showed Sarah Carda had three gunshot wounds to the head, according to the affidavit.

Newsweek emailed the CCSO for comment Tuesday evening.

Shortly before noon on Oct. 6, CCSO Deputy Thomas Hanson responded to a 911 call about a “domestic incident” that occurred at a residence on Elmcrest Avenue in Fish Lake Township, the affidavit states. Hanson was told by mail that the house was “stocked with a large number of weapons.”

When the deputy arrived at the scene, Hanson approached the home and could “hear voices coming from the home” from about 40 yards away, the court document said. After receiving no response to the knock on the door, Hanson “walked to the side of the window” and knocked on the glass while saying “Sheriff’s Office.”

Immediately after she knocked on the glass, a woman’s voice, believed to be Sarah Carda, said “he has a gun” before shots were fired from the bedroom, Hanson said in court documents. He said he stepped back from the window and three more shots were fired through “the same window, narrowly missing him,” he said, noting that the bullets “exited at head height.”

Another shot was fired from the bedroom as Hanson exited the house to wait for backup, he said, adding that during that time, orders were given over a public address system to residents of the house to leave.

Numerous police officers were on site, including members of the SWAT team, the affidavit states.

After “repeated attempts” failed to get Mike Carda to leave the house, a drone was flown into the house and provided live video of the bedroom.

The live broadcast showed a woman, identified as Sarah Carda, lying on the bed with a head wound. A man, later identified as Mike Carda, was also observed in the room with two “long guns” on the floor next to the bed.

Carda was again repeatedly told that he was under arrest and to leave the house, but he refused, prompting authorities to use a K-9 to remove him from the bedroom. He was arrested at the scene, according to the affidavit.

Melissa Stockness, who identified herself in one as Sarah Carda’s sister GoFundMe Page, in support of the family, said her sister was killed in a “senseless act of domestic violence.”

“After 17 years of unconditional love and support, the person she could have trusted most ended her life,” Stockness wrote.

Newsweek I reached out to Stockness for comment via GoFundMe.

Mike Carda was given a $2 million bond and is being held in the Chisago County Jail, online court records show. His next court date is scheduled for October 24th.