Yia Xiong of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States has died. He was 65.

Xiong is of Hmong descent. He is Wallor Xiong‘s older brother, See Xiong’s husband and the father of Lee Xiong, Mai Tong Xiong and Alyssa Xiong.

While fighting in the U.S. Secret War in Laos, Yia lost his hearing. After moving to the U.S., he worked hard to support his family despite not speaking English.

The U.S. Secret War lasted from 1964 to 1973. During this period, the US Air Surveillance dropped two million tons of ordnance on Laos to support the Royal Lao Government against the Communist Pathet Lao.

On February 11, 2023, Yia threatened people with a 16-inch knife inside a community room in St. Paul. When St. Paul Police Department officers Abdirahman Dahir and Noushue Cha arrived at around 5:00 p.m., they encountered Yia in hallway that led to his apartment.

Both Dahir and Cha have one year of law enforcement experience. They made verbal contact with Yia and told him to drop the knife but the elderly man did not respond.

Instead, Yia unlocked his apartment door. As he went inside his apartment and the door began to close, Dahir and Cha kicked the door to stop it from fully shutting.

After ordering Yia to come out, Dahir and Cha backed away from the door and down the short hallway. When Yia opened the door and stepped into the hallway, he still had a knife in his hand.

Dahir and Cha fired their respective weapons. First responders tried to provide medical aid but Yia died at the scene.