Minneapolis police: A mistake, an apology and then medals

David Joles, Star Tribune

Vang Khang traded gunfire with Minneapolis police in December when
they raided his house looking for a violent gang member. Khang’s
family counted 22 bullet holes

By RODRIGO ZAMITH, Star Tribune

Last update: July 30, 2008 - 5:27 AM

First, the city apologized. Then it gave awards.

Eight Minneapolis officers received medals in City Hall Monday for
their valor in a botched raid that the city apologized for last year. That
isn't sitting well with the family shot at multiple times by the officers.

"I'm shocked that they're receiving awards for that night," said Yee
Moua. "My family is a mess right now. My [9-year-old] son, who saw
the shooting, still has nightmares and has needed therapy. They've
ruined a life, and I don't understand why they would get rewarded for
that."

The awards stemmed from a high-risk search in December. The eight
officers -- who had SWAT training -- entered the house expecting to
find a violent gang member. Instead, they found Vang Khang, a
35-year-old homeowner who thought he was being robbed. Khang shot
through his bedroom door at the officers until he understood who they
were.

In the midst of the shootout were Moua, who is Khang's wife, and their
six children, who range in age from 3 to 15. Moua said her family has
since abandoned the house and can no longer afford to keep it.

Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said Tuesday the
department has acknowledged the raid was a mistake and has
apologized to the family. But he said the officers "performed very
bravely under gunfire and made smart decisions."

Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said that he knew giving the award
might get negative attention but that "we've never not recognized an
officer shot in the line of duty."

Three officers received shrapnel damage to body armor and their
ballistic helmets, Palmer said.

Dolan said he did not speak with the family prior to the award
ceremony, but he did speak with Hmong community leaders in north
Minneapolis who were "mostly understanding."

"I can understand [Moua's] feelings, but the officers didn't make any
mistakes and they were able to stop things from getting worse," Dolan
said. "Like the old maxim says, 'You don't punish your officers for the
mistake of the general.'"

'We almost died that night'

Police said they acted on bad information from an informant, who
reportedly was a victim of a crime at a house in the 1300 block of
Logan Avenue N. Police said they had no reason to believe the
information was inaccurate and they had the right address on the
warrant, but the house wasn't occupied by anybody they wanted.

The raid was part of an investigation by the department's Violent
Offender Task Force, which typically goes after the most violent gang
members and drug dealers. Officers had retrieved guns in searches
connected with the case before the raid.

According to police, officers entered the home without knocking -- a
standard procedure in cases where officers expected to find weapons --
and called out, "Police!" as they searched the home's first floor. They
didn't find anybody, so went to the second floor. At a small landing at
the top of the stairs, they again shouted, "Police!"

Shots then came through the walls and doors as officers searched two
bedrooms, police said. It was Khang shooting from a third bedroom.

Authorities said there were children in the other bedrooms, and the
officers quickly realized there was a language barrier. The older
children were able to communicate to their father that police were in
the house and to stop shooting.

"As soon as they started taking fire, [officers] got in front of the kids
and used their body as a shield," Palmer said. "They used great
restraint and shot precisely at where the bullets were coming back
from."

Moua disputed the police account.

"They never identified themselves; we thought they were a whole
bunch of drunk, crazy guys," she said. "We didn't know anything until
my oldest son yelled, 'Dad, it's the police!'"

She also said the officers did not try to protect her children, but rather
hid themselves behind furniture and shot back indiscriminately. She
said officers treated her and her husband roughly, and did not explain
the situation after the two surrendered.

"They stepped on my husband, and we kept asking, 'Where are the bad
guys?'" she said. "We were just trying to protect ours kids. We almost
died that night."

Lawsuit against the city

Sgt. Jesse Garcia said the city conducted an internal affairs
investigation after the raid and the SWAT team was cleared of any
wrongdoing. He said no other details were available because the
investigation was still open.

Casper Hill, a spokesman for the city of Minneapolis, said the city has
reimbursed the Khang family $7,500 for "miscellaneous expenses."

The family's lawyer, Thomas Heffelfinger, said that he has had ongoing
conversations with the city attorney's office and that there will be a
lawsuit if they cannot reach a resolution.

"They fired 22 rounds with 9 millimeter automatic weapons into a
room with two adults and four children," Heffelfinger said. "That's not
protecting kids. They were firing at a room they couldn't see into. They
fired with the intent to kill the person on the other side of the door.

"To give these men awards for that behavior is nothing more than an
attempt to sanitize their conduct."

Heffelfinger also said the family had lived at the house for four years
and had no history of wrongdoing. He said police "failed to do their
homework" and "acted outrageously once they got there."

Officers receiving medals of commendation included Sgt. Nicholas
Torborg and officers Steven Blackwell, Matthew Kaminski, Ricardo
Muro and Craig Taylor. Sgt. Michael Young and officers John
Sheneman and Alan Williams received medals of valor.

"We knew there might be political implications with this," Palmer said.
"We're not passing judgment today on the rest of what happened there.
But those officers were shot in the line of duty, and there isn't an
appropriate level of award for that."

Staff writer Abby Simons contributed to this report. Rodrigo Zamith •
612-673-4895

Tsi Meng, 6, was one of six children in the house during the shootout.

David Joles, Star Tribune

Officer receives medal.

Courtesy KSTP

Monday's award ceremony

Courtesy KSTP

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