Roseville Police: Hallucinogenic drugs may have played a role in double homicide, suicide
Roseville officials have released new details on the incident that left three men dead and one critically injured Saturday, adding that drugs may have played a role in their deaths.
Two of the deaths have been ruled as homicides by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office, while one is ruled as a suicide.
The fourth wounded man is said to be in stable condition as of early Monday afternoon. Over the weekend, he was listed as being in critical condition.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Roseville police say were called for a welfare check at an apartment on the 1600 block of Eldridge Avenue around 2:30 a.m. Saturday.
That’s where officers found Nou Xiong, 33, suffering from a life-threatening cut to his throat. He was then taken to the hospital.
Xiong’s girlfriend called for the welfare check after getting a text from him saying he was hurt and needed help. She told police he was there with three of his friends.
The bodies of three men – John Thao, Fong Vang, and Meng Vang, all 32 years old – were found inside. Police say Meng Vang lived at the apartment.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner listed John Thao’s cause of death as homicide by sharp force, while Fong Vang’s death has been ruled as homicide by sharp force and a gunshot.
Meng Vang reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot. Police say he is suspected of killing the other two men and wounding Xiong.
Xiong told police that Vang, armed with a knife, attacked him without provocation before he was able to escape to a bedroom and call for help.
Investigators say while hallucinogenic drugs may have been a contributing factor, but no official motive has yet been identified.
Meng Vang’s older brother — Cha Vang — provided the following statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:
“My youngest brother is a good man. As far as I know, he and the other three persons were best friends since high school. They always hang out, do things together and keep things for themselves. Because they were best friends, I don’t believe my brother had a motive to do bad things to his three best friends and to himself. However, I believe that there must be some kind of bad substance that the four of them used that night to have caused this horrible tragedy. I’m devastated and also deeply sorry for the other three families.”
Police they they are still investigating.
Roseville Police Chief Erika Scheider shared the following written statement:
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by Saturday morning’s tragic events. We will continue to investigate and hope to provide as many answers as possible for the families.”
Erika Scheider, Roseville Police Chief
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reporter Renee Cooper will have the latest on this investigation during this evening’s newscasts.