Man who ‘believed the devil was in the walls’ charged for shooting, fire at Minneapolis home
A man has been charged after shooting his wife and starting a fire in their Minneapolis home over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Lue Xiong, 31, was charged with one count of first-degree arson, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, threats of violence and domestic assault..
As previously reported, the Minneapolis Fire Department responded to a house fire on the 1000 block of Irving Avenue North at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. While on scene, they notified Minneapolis police about someone with a gunshot wound in the home.
Authorities spoke to Xiong’s wife, who said that he “believed the devil was in the walls” and was acting this way because of the drugs he had used.
She said he had been using narcotics before and after the shooting and had exhibited similar behavior in the past.
Court records say that during an argument between 6 and 8 a.m., Xiong accused his wife of cheating on him and said that if she didn’t tell the truth, he would shoot her with the AK-47 he was holding. Xiong then shot her once in the leg and had their two oldest children help bandage her injury, court documents state.
The woman said she didn’t call 911 because it was a “tough situation,” and Xiong threatened to shoot officers if they responded to the house.
Later in the day, the woman was alerted by her children that there was a fire in the house that Xiong had started in the laundry room. The woman and the six children, ranging in ages from 8 months to 14 years old, then ran out of the house, the criminal complaint states.
Court records say that Xiong was placed into custody. Officers found a glass pipe with drug residue on it, a baggie with a white crystalline substance inside and a lighter.
Medical personnel determined the woman had a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her leg, and she was brought to the hospital.
Through investigation, authorities learned that in prior days, Xiong had shot the wall near a closet he thought “the demon” was going to come through. The woman said Xiong also shot holes up through the floor into their daughter’s room to try and get rid of the demon.
Xiong also told his wife that their youngest child “has the devil inside him,” and he nearly pointed the gun at the 8-month-old before he was stopped, according to court documents.
Police found fire damage to a wall in the basement next to the bedroom. In the home, officials found a bottle with a yellowish/clear liquid that appeared to be gas, multiple guns, ammunition and a glass meth pipe.
Xiong is currently in custody and has his first court date scheduled for April 24.