Family members and advocates of a man shot and killed by St. Paul police in February called for a swift review of the case on Saturday following the completion of an independent use-of-deadly-force investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) in May. More immediately, they’re asking the City to have the two rookie officers involved in the incident removed.

The BCA’s investigative findings are now in the hands of Ramsey County Attorney John Choi. He’ll determine whether there will be charges, and he’s getting help from the state Attorney General’s office in that review process. A BCA spokesperson said Saturday they will release all public portions of the investigative file once its review by the county attorney’s office is complete.

“No justice, no peace” and “Say his name” rang out from the State Capitol grounds Saturday.

The family of the late Yia Xiong, 65, and representatives from the Justice for Yia Xiong Coalition and Communities United Against Police Brutality held a rally, asking listeners to sign a petition that calls on Mayor Melvin Carter and St. Paul Police to remove the two rookie officers who shot and killed Xiong on Feb. 11. One officer deployed a taser, the other a gun.

“Yia Xiong is a veteran, he’s a grandfather, he’s a victim,” state Sen. Foung Hawj, DFL-St. Paul, said into the microphone.

“My uncle Yia was like a dad to me,” nephew Toulee Tao shared.

“He was a human being and he didn’t deserve to die that day, despite of anything that happened,” Toshira Garraway Allen, founder of the non-profit Families Supporting Families added.

According to St. Paul Police, the officers responded to Winslow Commons, the affordable housing complex for seniors and people with disabilities where Xiong lived, on a report of a man threatening people with a knife.

Body camera video shows officers fired several shots at Xiong just a couple of seconds after he walked out of his apartment, toward officers, while still holding a large knife.

Advocates for Xiong said in February that he was hard of hearing and a language barrier likely contributed to his inability to respond to police commands.

“We’d really like them to take a look at it very carefully and prosecute this case. Because Yia Xiong cannot be just killed like that,” Justice for Yia Xiong co-founder Snowdon Herr said in an interview Saturday.

The BCA in May wrapped up its independent use-of-deadly-force investigation and handed it over to Ramsey County Attorney John Choi’s office for final review.

Attorney General Keith Ellison agreed to participate in that review at Choi’s request.

“It’s very unusual for the Attorney General’s office to be involved this early in the case,” said Michelle Gross, the president of Communities United Against Police Brutality. “So you know, we think that this is a good sign. And that means that perhaps these officers will in fact be prosecuted.”

Community members in February said Xiong’s death could’ve been prevented and called for more de-escalation and mental health training for police.

Asked if the call for prosecution was new, Gross said, “Well, you know, we have called for the prosecution of the officers from the very beginning, but we also want to see this never happen again. So we are calling for things like better de-escalation training, better, you know, responses to mental health crises, things like that, and also language issues.”

“Well, of course,” Herr responded separately. “Because they I mean, they have to face some consequences for their actions too.”

Mayor Carter’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment Saturday. St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said at a press conference in February that it appears the officers’ tactics were consistent with police practice.

“Any loss of life is tragic, and we’re keeping the family and friends of Mr. Xiong in our thoughts as they grieve and look for answers,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said in a statement following the release of body camera footage in mid-February. “We know there aren’t words to alleviate their pain, but we hope the release of these videos will help them begin to understand what happened.”