Community members are speaking out after prosecutors decided not to charge the St. Paul police officer who shot and killed a Hmong man last year.

Officer Abdirahmin Dahir shot 65-year-old Yia Xiong, who was holding a knife, outside his apartment on Feb. 11, 2023. A use-of-force expert says officers’ lives were in imminent danger and, therefore, were justified in using deadly force.

More than a year since Xiong’s death, community members are calling on the department to change its response policy.

“The announcement is totally unjustified,” said Snowdon Herr, founder of Justice for Yia Xiong. “We need them to notify us if it is a Hmong person who cannot speak English.”

Herr says having a Hmong-speaking responder would have changed the outcome. Family members say Xiong was partially deaf, couldn’t understand English and struggled with mental health issues.

RELATED: Community members say SPPD fatal shooting of Yia Xiong could have ended differently

Police released body camera video from Officer Noushue Cha, who is Hmong, and he can be heard giving Xiong commands in English. 

Herr says he’s not certain if Cha is fluent in Hmong. 

According to police, officers were told Xiong was threatening residents with a knife at a senior living facility. 

Body camera footage shows officers followed Xiong into his apartment unit, where Xiong eventually came out still holding a knife. That’s when Cha deployed his Taser and Officer Dahir fired his rifle.

Xiong was shot five times. 

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension recovered a 16-inch traditional Hmong knife from the scene. 

 Community leaders are also asking that SPPD review their cultural competency training practices. 

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Police Chief Axel Henry released a joint statement, which reads, in part:

“As the men and women of the Saint 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.”

Mayor Melvin Carter and Police Chief Axel Henry