The North Dakota Supreme Court has affirmed the conviction of a Minot man found guilty of shooting another man in a bar fight in Beulah in 2023.

Shawn Gramkow, 39, Minot, was originally charged with murder in the death of Phil Luster but was found guilty of the lesser-included charge of manslaughter and a count of reckless endangerment by a Mercer County jury in September 2024. Gramkow was sentenced to 10 years with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with five years suspended on Dec. 31, 2024.

Gramkow appealed the conviction to the N.D. Supreme Court, asserting there was insufficient evidence to convict him and reiterated his claims he was acting in self-defense.

The state Supreme Court issued its opinion on June 18, finding the jury was instructed on self-defense, limits on deadly force and the reasonableness of Gramkow’s belief that his use of force was warranted. Further, the justices found after a review of the record that evidence supported the convictions.