Minneapolis police raid goes awry
Associated Press
Mon December 17, 2007
Area: Minneapolis, St. Paul
MINNEAPOLIS - Two officers who raided an innocent family's house on a bad tip were shot at and returned fire, but no one was injured, a police spokesman said.
Vang Khang said Monday that he grabbed his hunting gun to protect himself, his wife and his six children when they heard someone burst through the back door early Sunday. He fired three shots, hitting two members of the SWAT team, but they were unhurt because of their bulletproof vests and helmets.
Officers returned fire, but nobody in the house was injured. Police released Khang after taking his statement.
All six of the children, ages 3 to 15, were home at the time.
Lt. Amelia Huffman said the officers went to the house listed on the search warrant, but it turned out the source was wrong.
Seven police officers were put on paid administrative leave as the department investigates, standard procedure when officers are involved in shootings, Huffman said.
Huffman declined to say much about the underlying case but said it was generated by a unit that typically handles drug and gang crimes.
Khang, 34, and his wife, Yee Moua, told reporters Monday night that they thought intruders had broken into their home.
Moua said she was watching television on the main floor when she heard voices and then windows breaking. She ran upstairs to tell her husband.
Khang said he grabbed the shotgun from a closet and fired three shots out his bedroom door. When his sons yelled at him that the intruders were actually police, he put down his gun and put his hands in the air.
"The whole family is badly shaken and still trying to understand what happened," Moua said. She and Khang showed reporters five broken windows and 22 bullet holes.
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