Yia Xiong’s daughter says she’s ‘devastated’ by no charges against St. Paul officer in fatal shooting

Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read
17

The family of Yia Xiong, speaking publicly for the first time since prosecutors announced they won’t charge the St. Paul police officer who fatally shot him, said they are “devastated, angry and confused” by the decision.

“But in his memory, I hope that St. Paul can learn from this,” said his daughter, Mai Tong Xiong, who called for policy changes for police at a Wednesday press conference.

Xiong, 65, was partially deaf and didn’t speak English, his family has said.

He was advancing toward officers with a 12-inch knife on Feb. 11, 2023, when Officer Abdirahman Dahir shot him, according to a summary of the investigation from the Ramsey County attorney’s and Minnesota Attorney General’s offices released March 20.

Officers were responding to 911 calls at the apartment building where Xiong lived in the 100 block of South Western Avenue near West Seventh Street. The prosecutors said Dahir and other officers “had no objective reason to believe that Mr. Xiong did not understand the multiple orders given to him by officers to ‘stop’ and ‘drop the knife.’”

Xiong’s family said he lost his hearing in one ear from serving in the Secret War in Laos, a time when Hmong generals fought alongside the U.S in the Vietnam War.

“As a refugee family, we sought refuge in this country with the hope of finding safety and a promise of justice and dignity,” said Mai Tong Xiong. “… It is painful that a veteran who … once fought for the principles this country stands for would fall victim to the very system meant to protect him.”

The Justice for Yia Xiong Coalition is demanding that officials release all data in the case, including unredacted body camera footage. The police department released footage of the encounter soon after Xiong was shot. A spokesperson for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which investigated, said Wednesday the case file has entered the redaction process and will be publicly available when it’s finished.

The coalition is also calling for Police Chief Axel Henry, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and their staff to meet with the community for discussions about policy changes to prevent future deadly force incidents, especially with people with limited English skills or with disabilities. Three St. Paul City Council members on Friday issued a letter about similar policy changes.

Choi’s office is open to meeting, said Dennis Gerhardstein, a county attorney’s office spokesman.

In a Friday statement from Mayor Melvin Carter and Henry, they said: “As the men and women of the St. Paul Police Department stand up to respond to dangerous and dynamic situations on all of our behalf, we remain committed to the deep work of healing from this specific incident, and partnering with law enforcement and community partners alike to reduce encounters such as these, which place both public and officer safety at risk.”

Mai Tong Xiong, who lives in Wisconsin, said Choi and Ellison met with her via a video call on March 20 to tell her about their decision to not charge Dahir, and Choi’s office released the information to the media soon after. They “did not give us time to process the difficult news” or “share it with family members that were not present for the conversation or could not speak English,” she said.

The Ramsey County attorney’s office followed the same process as it has in previous cases, in terms of first speaking with family, officers and related agencies, and then releasing the information to the public, Gerhardstein said.

Mai Tong Xiong said it now pains her to come to St. Paul. Yia Xiong “was a great father, a loving grandfather” and had been married for more than 40 years, his daughter said.

“I miss my father every day,” she said. “… I miss his video calls to my children. …They ask about their grandfather every day.”

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