BCA identifies victim, St. Paul officers involved in fatal shooting Saturday

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has released the identity of the man who was shot and killed by St. Paul police officers on Saturday. The Ramsey County medical examiner said that Yia Xiong, 65, of St. Paul, died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The BCA also identified the two officers involved in the use-of-force incident:

• Officer Abdirahman Dahir, who has one year of law enforcement experience, fired his department rifle.
• Officer Noushue Cha, who has one year of law enforcement experience, deployed his taser.

Both officers have been placed on standard administrative leave.

As previously reported, St. Paul officers responded to Winslow Commons, an affordable housing complex for seniors and people with disabilities on the 100 block of Western Avenue South, on Saturday. Officers were told that a man was threatening residents with a knife.

RELATED: Multiple St. Paul officers on leave after fatal officer-involved shooting

Multiple Winslow residents told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that Xiong also lived in the building.

Officers found the man, later identified as Xiong, in a hallway holding a knife. Officers told Xiong to drop the knife but he didn’t respond and went inside his apartment at the end of the hallway, the BCA says.

The officers kicked the door to stop it from shutting, told Xiong to come out and then backed away from the door. Xiong came outside, still holding the knife, according to the BCA.

Cha then deployed his taser and Dahir fired his department rifle, hitting Xiong. Despite efforts to provide first aid, Xiong died at the scene.

BCA crime scene personnel recovered a 16-inch traditional Hmong knife from the scene, the agency says.

Both officers were wearing body cameras, which captured portions of the incident. The BCA said it is reviewing the body camera footage as part of its investigation and the footage will be available to the public after the investigation is over.

After it completes its investigation, the BCA will present its findings to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office for review.