St. Paul couple died in murder-suicide with their 5 young children in the home, police say

One of the children called 911 to report the shootings.

August 17, 2022 at 11:02PM
The couple who died Tuesday night on St. Paul’s East Side had five children between the ages of 2 and 9. All of them were home at the time of the shootings. (St. Paul Police Department/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Two adults were fatally shot Tuesday night inside a residence on St. Paul's East Side in what police are say was a murder-suicide.

A child called 911 at about 9:15 p.m. to report that a man and a woman had been shot and killed in a home on the 2000 block of California Avenue, said St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. David McCabe.

They were Yia Xiong, a 33-year-old man, and Ka Lor, a 30-year old woman. McCabe said the two were in a relationship for around a decade, and early investigation shows that Xiong shot and killed Lor before killing himself.

The pair have five children who are between the ages of 2 and 9. All of them were home at the time of the shootings.

Paramedics arrived and pronounced both adults dead. Forensic unit investigators later scoured the scene, recovering a weapon.

St. Paul police said they have no history of domestic violence between the two, but police also said that no one had been arrested and that authorities were not looking for any suspects.

The children are with other family members and have been referred to resources such as Survivor Resources in St. Paul and the Midwest Children's Resource Center at Children's Minnesota.

McCabe said the case is still under investigation.

about the writers

about the writers

Tim Harlow

Reporter

Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. 

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Kyeland Jackson

St. Paul police reporter

Kyeland Jackson is the St. Paul public safety reporter for the Star Tribune.

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