Suspect Fatally Shot by Officers in Saint Paul Apartment

CrimeLatestNews

Feb 11

A suspect allegedly wielding a machete was fatally shot by Saint Paul police around 5 p.m. Saturday on the 100 block of Western Ave. S.

Saint Paul police confirmed late Saturday night in a media conference that officers were involved in the shooting and that the suspect is deceased.

Dispatch audio recordings indicate that police were called for a report of a man carrying a machete on the first floor of the apartment building.

Police arrived and surrounded the building, which was quickly followed by officers reporting that shots were fired.

Paramedics and more squads were requested to assist at the scene.

SPPD says that the man had been reportedly threatening a group of people inside the apartment building while armed with the knife.

Officers located the man in a first-floor hallway of the building, SPPD says, and he still had the knife in his hand. Officers attempted to get him to drop the knife and retreated after he “advanced” toward them.

The department says one officer deployed a taser and another officer fired shots at the man, who—according to EMS radio dispatches—was struck multiple times. The audio revealed that officers began CPR and were able to move a knife away from the man. Paramedics then arrived and pronounced him deceased.

The officers were wearing body-worn cameras that were activated at the time. It’s not yet known if or when those recordings may be released. There were no officers injured.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed agents were responding to the “use-of-force incident,” and are investigating the shooting, which is standard procedure.

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UPDATE - Weds, Feb. 15

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man shot and killed as Yia Xiong, 65, of Saint Paul. He died at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds, the Minnesota BCA said.

SPPD officer Abdirahman Dahir was identified as the officer who fired his department rifle. He has one year of law enforcement experience. Officer Noushue Cha deployed his Taser during the incident, the BCA said, and he has one year of law enforcement experience.

The officers responded to the apartment building on reports of a man threatening residents with a knife, the BCA said. When they arrived, residents directed officers toward a hallway where Xiong was located holding a knife. Xiong’s apartment door was at the end of the short hallway and officers made verbal contact with him, telling him to drop the knife.

Xiong did not respond, the BCA said, instead turning to unlock his apartment door and go inside. As Xiong went inside his apartment and the door began to close, the officers “kicked the door” to stop it from fully shutting and ordered Xiong to come out, according to a media release from the BCA.

The officers then backed away from the door and retreated down the short hallway. Xiong then allegedy opened the door and stepped into the hallway, with the knife still in-hand. Both officers then fired their weapons.

BCA crime scene personnel recovered a 16-inch traditional Hmong knife at the scene, the agency said, and both officers were wearing body cameras that captured portions of the incident. Portions of the video were released on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 by the Saint Paul Police Department.

> YOUTUBE: Dispatch audio of the incident

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