Man fatally shot, several hurt when confrontation in Spring Lake Park parking lot escalates

One man was fatally shot early Sunday and at least seven injured when an altercation erupted into gunfire outside a Spring Lake Park restaurant and event center, where a concert was underway.

The Anoka County Sheriff's Office said no one was in custody Sunday evening.

Cmdr. Wayne Heath said the shooting just after midnight at Dala Thai Restaurant and Banquet Hall followed what appeared to be a conflict between two groups of people in the parking lot.

"We are still working on what started that," he said.

A video shared online shows two men fighting in the parking lot, followed by a series of 16 gunshots that sent bystanders ducking for cover behind cars.

Officials are asking anyone with video of the incident to send recordings to police by e-mail at RS-CID@co.anoka.mn.us.

Authorities identified the man killed as Chai Yang, 19, of St. Paul. Those injured: Ger Yang, 29, of Pine City, Minn.; Keng Moua, 19; Chimua Lor, 22; Lee Vang Lor, 38; Jann Her, 34; John Thoa, 26; and Kou Yang, 37, all of St. Paul. Authorities said none of the victims have life-threatening injuries.

More than a dozen cars remained Sunday as investigators combed the parking lot for clues.

Sgt. Mike Long said the owners of the cars called the department wondering when they could pick up their vehicles.

But the restaurant remained cordoned off as officials used metal detectors to find evidence, each marked with a tag throughout the snow-covered lot.

An 18-and-older event, dubbed "Bigg Monster's Ugly Sweater Party," was held at Dala Thai from 9 p.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday, featuring $tupid Young, a Cambodian-American rapper from California. "Every time I do a show in Minnesota somebody getting shot," the artist said on Instagram. "Prayers to the ones who got hurt. I appreciate you."

On his Facebook page, Yang posted video from what appeared to be the concert and a photo of a ticket to the show.

Heath said the public was not in danger, a sentiment echoed by Mayor Bob Nelson.

"My understanding is that this was an isolated case," Nelson said. "I just wish these things would never happen."

And that's been the case for the northern suburb community for as long as Nelson can remember. He said in the 60 years he's lived in Spring Lake Park, he's never heard of a public shooting.

But that all changed Sunday when his phone started ringing around 1 a.m. He first visited the scene at 5 a.m., then returned throughout the day to check in with law enforcement.

The last homicide in Spring Lake Park was in the late 1990s, Nelson said. A 32-year-old man was killed during an armed robbery in August 1997.

Nelson said he was shocked to hear about the shooting in his hometown, which he describes as small and quiet.

"Especially when I heard one passed away," he said. "The violence has got to quit. This is crazy. … You know, you destroyed up to seven families. … It's just deeply disturbing."

Dala Thai opened earlier this summer, Nelson said, and police did not indicate they've been called there before.

But previous owners of the venue, then known as Povlitzki's On 65, had a record number of police calls in 2012. The bar closed in recent years before Dala Thai owners took over.

Neighbor Ving Moua said she's visited the restaurant once after it opened.

When she heard the gunshots early Sunday morning, her husband, Tony Ming, went to check. He came back to tell Moua that people were lying on the ground and he believed one was dead.

Elijah Roberts of Plymouth visited Spring Lake Park for a Sunday church service.

He and other families dressed in church clothes were instructed to park at a nearby bank to get around the crime scene. He said the victims' families would be in their prayers.

"It's a sad thing to hear," Roberts said as he held his 1-year-old daughter, Jasmine.

Kim Hyatt • 612-673-4751