24-05-2025
5 years after Cody Holte's death, widow says 'if it had to happen somewhere, I'm glad it happened here'
May 24—GRAND FORKS — Five years after her husband, Grand Forks Police Officer Cody Holte, was killed in the line of duty, Mandy Klostreich is still struck by the outpouring of support her family received from the community in the wake of their tragedy.
"If it had to happen somewhere, I'm glad it happened here," Klostreich said. "I do believe that everyone supported us and supported the rest of the (police department) that was still there, and had to keep doing their jobs, even though they were hurting at the same time as we were."
She believes Grand Forks has always supported law enforcement, but Holte's death gave them a unique opportunity to voice that support during a particularly difficult time in the country.
"I am grateful for the community that we live in," she said. "If (the city) was too much bigger, it would've been different, I think, and I wouldn't have gotten the love and support that I did receive, that all of us received. I'm very grateful."
Holte was
murdered by Salamah Pendleton on May 27, 2020,
during a standoff inside Pendleton's residence, where law enforcement had been attempting to serve an eviction notice.
Pendleton shot Holte three times, fatally shot his own mother, Lola Moore, and wounded another officer — then-Cpl. Ronald Nord — during the altercation. He was
sentenced in October 2021
to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Carmell Mattison, prosecutor in the case against Pendleton, said "the community response was incredible."
Hundreds gathered for Holte's funeral,
including community members, elected officials and law enforcement. Retired GFPD Chief Mark Nelson said he remembers that day vividly.
"The streets were lined, and almost everywhere there was grass, there were people lined up," Nelson said. "There were people lined up on the interstate when we went down to his graveside service. Those things, you'll never forget. I don't know how you could, as a human being."
Nearly five years later, the city hasn't forgotten either. Klostreich said that means a lot.
Though Nelson has since retired, people still approach him to talk about Holte. His hope is that the young officer's death will not be in vain, and people will never stop talking about him.
"Just never forget," he said. "Keep his memory alive."
Cody Holte and Klostreich's son, Gunnar Holte, was just 10 months old when his father died. Now 5 years old, it's difficult for his mother to discern how much he understands, but she believes he knows how important his father's work was.
Their family remembers Cody Holte by attending events like the annual Northern Valley Law Enforcement Memorial, visiting officers at the police department — who have become an extension of their family, Klostreich said — and pointing out different symbols throughout the city and beyond that honor Holte.
"Just the other day, I think we were in Fargo, and Gunny's like, 'I see a Daddy Cody sticker! I see a Daddy Cody sticker!'" Klostreich said. "And he pointed out three cars that had a 'Daddy Cody' sticker on them. That made me smile, and it was a good thing. All of us were pointing out 'Daddy Cody' stickers."
Sgt. Kelly McLean, of the Grand Forks County Sheriff's Office, and Nord, at the time with the sheriff's office and now of the UND Police Department, were both at the scene May 27, 2020. They, too, said they noticed the surge of support from community members in the aftermath of the fatal shooting — particularly the "thin blue line" flags and blue porch lights.
It can be hard to be surrounded by so many reminders of the loss of her husband, but Klostreich tries to appreciate them while they last. People may not forget, but moving forward is a natural part of life.
"... People move. Signs fade, and they're not always going to be there in the same way that they were," she said. "It's not a bad thing, it's just life. (So) it's good for us to see that, because it is less than it was — but it's still there."
Despite what McLean and Nord experienced that day, it never led them to question whether law enforcement was still the right path for them. For McLean, it was a career he'd always wanted, and he remains with the sheriff's office to this day.
Nord was 34 years into his law enforcement career at the time of the shooting. Despite his injuries, he returned to work after less than two months, carrying out an eviction on his second day back. That one, like most others, did not end in tragedy, but that's why police train, practice and otherwise prepare themselves.
"Because you don't know," he said.
He retired from the sheriff's office a year and a half after Holte's death, but returned to the force part-time with the UND PD in 2022.
Mattison said the video evidence in the case, which showed the deaths and injuries unfold in real time, will forever be part of her memories. Nord and McLean said they, too, relive the shooting through their memories. But despite the trauma, law enforcement is a calling, and it's hard to step away, they say.
"You want to make a difference in the world," Nord said. "You want to help out. You want to stop somebody's hurt, or be there for somebody, whether a domestic or an accident."
Mattison said handling the case against Pendleton, and the highly-publicized trial, was a heavy responsibility. She felt like the entire community watched it unfold.
"This case was a defining moment in my career," she said. "For years, I simply went through the motions of calling law enforcement witnesses to the stand to bring out facts to prove the case, not giving much thought that any of these situations could have resulted in the death of this officer. Now, this is the first thing I think about."
McLean said he did not know Holte well, but Nord worked with him on the water rescue team. He said Holte had a promising future ahead of him; his death was a loss not only for the police department, but for the North Dakota Army National Guard.
"We had our trainings on the first and third Wednesday of every month, and I got to see his bright, beautiful face smile," Nord said. "He was always energetic, and eager to learn and a very nice young man."
Though Holte is known primarily for his role as an officer and his death in the line of duty, he was only in the field for about three and a half years.
"Cody was more than just an officer," Klostreich said. "He was a husband, and a dad and a son."
Her memories of him go far beyond the loss and tragedy. Just a couple of weeks ago, while her family was eating hamburgers and curly fries, her son found a perfectly curled fry and she instantly thought of his father.
"Cody's favorite place to go eat was Hardee's, and he would get the curly fries," Klostreich said. "I smiled, and I said, 'Gunny, oh, Daddy Cody would be jealous. We used to fight over these: the perfect curly fry.'"
Her son was confused at first, wondering what his mother meant by "fight." She clarified that no, they didn't actually fight over the fries. His father was just jealous of whoever got the best fries of the bunch.
"Those are the things that mean the most to me," she said, though the good memories can sometimes be the hardest to remember.
"Honestly, sometimes Gunny is the one who helps me to get through the hard times," she said. "He goes, 'Mom, but he's in heaven and he's OK,' and it's like, 'You know what, Gunny? You're right. He is.'"
Recalling the months before their son came into their lives, Klostreich said Holte could not wait to become a father, and was so excited when he found out their baby was a boy.
"He was a great father, and he would have been there for Gunny — and future kids — every day, which is hard to think about," Klostreich said. "But he will be, in a different way."
