Jonathan Boyd Berg faces multiple felony counts after deputies say he shot his grandson.
BRAINERD, Minn. — Prosecutors have charged a 72-year-old Merrifield man with first-degree premeditated attempted murder after deputies say he shot his grandson during a dispute that began over a fish house.
The case against Jonathan Boyd Berg was filed May 5 in Crow Wing County District Court, two days after the shooting in Center Township. The complaint accuses Berg of firing a 16-gauge shotgun at the 18-year-old, wounding him with birdshot, then threatening the teen’s mother when she confronted him.
The most serious count, first-degree premeditated attempted murder, is built on what investigators say happened before the gun went off. According to the complaint, Berg had argued with the teen earlier in the day about the teen not storing a fish house. Family members told deputies Berg was agitated and complaining about it. The confrontation turned physical when Berg allegedly hit the teen in the mouth. The teen hit him back, and Berg allegedly threatened to shoot the teen’s dog. The teen later left with his brother to go fishing.
Prosecutors also listed assault counts that focus on the injury and the weapon. Berg was charged with first-degree assault with great bodily harm, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon causing substantial bodily harm and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. A fifth felony count, threats of violence with reckless disregard of risk, relates to statements investigators say Berg made during the episode. Together, the counts give prosecutors several paths to argue the case, from intent to injure to intent to kill.
The complaint says the teen’s mother provided one of the most important statements. She told deputies that about an hour before the shooting, Berg asked when her son was coming home so he could shoot him. She also reported that Berg had been drinking heavily and had consumed about two gallons of Windsor whiskey in the previous few days. Prosecutors may use that statement to argue Berg had time to think about the shooting before the teen returned home. The defense may later challenge how witnesses understood those statements or how they fit with the physical evidence.
Deputies were called at 8:26 p.m. May 3 for a reported shooting at a home on County Highway 19 in Center Township, according to public reports of the court documents and sheriff’s office release. While deputies were responding, they learned the victims had left the residence and gone to a Dollar General store. There, deputies found the mother and the injured 18-year-old. The teen had a pattern of wounds that authorities said matched birdshot, the small pellets from a shotgun shell. The shooting itself was described through the mother’s account. She said the teen came home around 9 p.m. and that she spoke with him briefly. She then heard a gunshot, breaking glass and her son screaming. She saw Berg sitting on his bed with the shotgun, and the gun appeared to be smoking, according to the complaint. The teen’s injuries were described in public reports as wounds to his back, buttocks and thighs. Authorities have not released a full medical report.
After the shot, the mother asked Berg why he had shot her son. Investigators said Berg responded with another threat, telling her to be quiet and saying he would shoot her too. That statement is part of the charged conduct and helps explain why the mother immediately left the residence. The complaint does not say that Berg provided medical aid before the mother drove the teen away. It also does not say whether anyone else at the home was injured.
The court process now moves through the early felony stages. Berg was held in the Crow Wing County Jail, and public reports said bail was set at $750,000 without conditions or $300,000 with conditions. His next hearing was scheduled as an omnibus hearing on May 14. At that kind of hearing, the court can address probable cause, evidence disputes, hearing schedules and release conditions. No trial date was listed in the public reports reviewed for this article.
The case will likely turn on several categories of evidence. Witness statements from the mother, the teen and the teen’s brother may establish the timeline. Medical records may show the number, location and seriousness of wounds. Any recovered shotgun, shell casing, broken glass and pellet pattern could help investigators show where the gun was fired from and where the teen was when he was hit. Court filings available through public reports do not yet answer every question about that forensic work.
The facts also place the alleged violence inside a family home, not between strangers. Berg is the teen’s grandfather and the mother’s father. That relationship may shape witness testimony and the court’s handling of no-contact conditions. It does not change the burden of proof. Prosecutors must prove the elements of each charge beyond a reasonable doubt if the case reaches trial, and Berg remains presumed innocent unless convicted.
As of the latest public reports, the teen survived and Berg remained accused in Crow Wing County. The next formal step is the court schedule following the May 14 hearing, where the attempted murder case can move toward motions, possible plea discussions or trial preparation.
Author note: Last updated June 2, 2026.