North Dakota man convicted of shooting 2 police officers

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WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A jury has convicted a North Dakota man of shooting two Wisconsin police officers.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported 25-year-old Nathanael Benton was found guilty Thursday of first-degree attempted homicide, reckless endangerment and being a felon in possession of a firearm after a three-day trial.

Body camera footage shows Benton shooting Delafield Officer Michael Henning and Hartland Officer Matthew Seeger at the Delafield Holiday Inn in November 2020. Both officers survived their wounds.

Benton testified during the trial that he had shot someone in Fargo a week earlier, fled to Indiana and was on his way back to North Dakota with a friend and another person when he stopped in Delafield. Officers responding to a hit-and-run in the area questioned his group as they were entering the hotel.

As Henning approached Benton to search him Benton pulled out a handgun concealed in his waistband and fired 10 rounds. Benton testified that he wasn’t trying to hurt the officers and was just trying to get away.

Benson’s attorney, Jeffrey Jensen, argued that Benton fired quickly and wildly, showing that he never intended to kill the officers.

Benton is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 29. He faces up to 78 1/2 years behind bars.