Advocates for Hmong man shot, killed by St. Paul police demand charges

Family members of a 65-year-old Hmong man shot and killed by St. Paul police in February renewed their call for justice Wednesday, while sharing previously unreleased transcripts of the 911 calls that preceded the fatal encounter.

Advocates and family gathered at the St. Paul City Hall to remember Yia Xiong's life, and Lue Yang, Xiong's son-in-law, said that Xiong was a loving man recovering from trauma that he suffered during military service.

"He was deaf in one ear, a result of his involvement in the Vietnam War. He was doing everything he could to get well again. That's why he was at the Winslow Commons," Yang said. "My father-in-law was not a threat. He was a grandfather, cornered and killed, shot five times as though his life meant nothing."

Witnesses say that Xiong was erratic and threatening people with a knife before two St. Paul police officers responded. Transcripts released Wednesday detail what some witnesses described: A caller said they were having a birthday party for their 1-year-old granddaughter in the Winslow Commons community room when Xiong entered.

They allege that he refused to leave, tried to touch someone's daughter and attempted to give money to the children.

The caller said they got Xiong to leave but he came back with a knife, prompting others to barricade themselves in the community room.

"And my grandchildren are all downstairs in the community room, and I think that's where he is right now," transcripts from one of the 911 calls released Wednesday said. "Uh, I'm on the 6th floor. My son told me to stay up here. I'm afraid to get on the elevator and see him."

Body camera footage released by SPPD days after the incident show officers Noushue Cha and Abdirahman Dahir respond to the 911 calls, entering the building's community room and ordering Xiong to drop a knife in his hand. Xiong walked away from police and into his apartment. He tried to close the door behind him, but Cha and Dahir pushed it open. Xiong walked out with the knife still in his hand, approaching Cha and Dahir. Dahir yelled "stop" before shooting him five times with a department rifle as Cha tased Xiong.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, marking one of more than 220 officer-involved shootings that have occurred in Minnesota since 2000. At least 30 have been in St. Paul.

Xiong's death brought outcry from hundreds of residents and some leaders who said that the 65-year-old's deafness and inability to understand English contributed to his death. Snowdon Herr with the Coalition for Justice for Yia Xiong defended Xiong's actions at the party, saying that it's customary for elders to give money to children and pat their heads.

"We were extremely disturbed to learn that the caller's husband, who had confronted Yia Xiong and possibly went to look for him on the sixth floor, was armed with a gun," Herr said referring to information from the 911 transcripts. "We'll never know if this [is] why Yia Xiong equipped himself with a knife to protect himself."

Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality, called for Mayor Melvin Carter and St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry to respond by prosecuting the officers involved.

"Our demand right now is that the police be fired and prosecuted," Gross said. "We also need an independent investigation, but we're seeing about that ourselves."

SPPD and Carter's office said it is unlikely they would comment on Wednesday. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is currently investigating the case and has told Herr to expect updates in coming weeks.