Man charged with murdering wife, shooting at police in Fish Lake Township

Charges are filed against a man who was arrested after a standoff with Chisago County Sheriff’s deputies Friday.

Court documents show Mike Larry Carda, 39, is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

His wife, Sarah Carda, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds to her head after the standoff. The Isanti County Sheriff’s Office confirmed over the weekend she worked as a corrections nurse, adding that she was killed in a “senseless act of domestic violence.”

RELATED: UPDATE: Woman killed in Fish Lake Township Friday identified as Isanti County corrections nurse, suspect in custody following standoff

The criminal complaint says a Chisago County deputy responded to a report of a domestic incident just before noon Friday at a home on the 42000 block of Elmcrest in Fish Lake Township.

Dispatch advised the home was flagged as having a large number of weapons.

The deputy then met a woman, whose daughter lived in the home, at the end of a driveway leading to the house. The mother was “visibly shaking” and said she heard arguing inside the home, according to the complaint.

The deputy told the mother to stay behind his vehicle as he approached the house. He could hear yelling, but couldn’t understand what was being said.

The complaint says there was no response when the deputy first knocked and announced his presence.

The deputy then knocked on a window and heard a woman say “he has a gun” before hearing shots come from the bedroom. He then backed away from the window he just knocked on and saw three shots fired through the window “at head-level” according to the complaint.

The complaint says the deputy heard another shot come through the bedroom, then called for backup and gave orders through the PA system for everyone to exit the house.

When SWAT arrived, a window was knocked out and a drone was flown into the house. Live video from the drone showed Sarah’s body on a bed with gunshot wounds to her head. Police also saw a man in the bedroom with two long guns on the floor at the edge of the bed.

The complaint states “various non-lethal methods” were used to get Carda out of the home before a K-9 was used to remove him. Police then arrested Carda and found a handgun in the bed where he was.

Court documents show Carda already had a pending domestic assault case involving his wife and that he was subject to a domestic abuse no-contact order.

On Monday, a judge set Carda’s bail at $2 million. His next court date is scheduled for later this month.