Members of the Twin Cities Hmong community are calling for changes after the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office decided not to charge a St. Paul police officer who fatally shot 65-year-old Yia Xiong last year.
Key points:
- On March 20, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison jointly announced that no charges would be brought against Officer Abdirahman Dahir after coming to an agreement that his use of force was legal.
- Xiong’s family and community members, including council members, are speaking out and demanding several changes within the police department.
Catch up:
- On Feb. 11, 2023, officers responded to a call regarding a man threatening residents with a knife at an apartment complex on Western Avenue South. Body camera footage shows Officers Dahir and Noushue Cha confronting Xiong, who was armed with a 16-inch knife, at his apartment door.
- Despite commands to come out, Xiong tried to enter his apartment. When the officers prevented the door from closing, Xiong stepped into the hallway with his knife before Dahir fired his rifle and Cha deployed his taser.
The details:
- The investigation into the incident was led by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Choi and Ellison’s office had consulted with use-of-force expert Jeff Noble, who testified that the officers involved faced a threat to their lives, justifying the use of deadly force.
- In a statement released last week, Ellison said, “Our determination in this case is and must be based on what the law requires, and it is a responsibility we take with the greatest seriousness even as we hold the victim and his family in our hearts and minds.”
Xiong’s family speaks out:
- On Wednesday, Xiong’s daughter, Mai Tong, spoke at a news conference at the Ramsey County courthouse, expressing her pain over her father’s death and emphasizing the devastation her family felt while waiting a year for a decision that led to no charges.
- “It is painful…
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