ST. PAUL —The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man shot and killed by St. Paul police during a use-of-force incident on Feb. 11 in St. Paul. The medical examiner determined that Yia Xiong, 65, of St. Paul died of multiple gunshot wounds. This is an open and active investigation.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified the two officers who used force during this incident. Both are on standard administrative leave.
- Officer Abdirahman Dahir fired his department rifle. He has one year of law enforcement experience.
- Officer Noushue Cha deployed his Taser. He has one year of law enforcement experience.
St. Paul police officers responded to an apartment building at around 5 p.m. on Feb. 11 on reports of a man threatening residents with a knife. 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. Officers made verbal contact with Xiong and told him to drop the knife. Xiong did not respond, 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 him to come out. They then backed away from the door and down the short hallway. Xiong opened the door and stepped into the hallway, knife still in-hand. Both officers then fired their respective weapons. First responders attempted to provide medical aid but Xiong died at the scene.
BCA crime scene personnel recovered a 16-inch traditional Hmong knife at the scene. Both officers were wearing body cameras that captured portions of the incident. BCA agents are reviewing that video as part of the investigation. It will be available to the public once the case is closed and fully adjudicated.
This St. Paul Police Department asked the BCA to investigate this incident. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office for review.
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