Minneapolis SWAT says that bad information from an informant led them to raid the wrong house Sunday morning. The raid led to an exchange of gunfire between the homeowner and police, fortunately no one was hurt.
The SWAT team made a dynamic entry into the back door of the home of Vang Khang, his wife, and six children, at 12:46 a.m., believing they were raiding and searching the two-story home of a violent offender.
Police say Vang Khang was awakened by his wife and opened fire on them with a shotgun through the wall of the master bedroom. Two officers were hit with pellets, but their vests and helmets prevented injury. Police returned fire but no one was hurt. Khang—who is Hmong and does not speak English—stopped firing once his 12-year-old son told him that the men who had stormed into his home were police officers.
Dao Khang, Vang Khang’s brother, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that his brother thought the police were bad guys, grabbed his shotgun, and opened fire. “He said, ‘If they are bad guys, I’ll shoot. I’ll scare them away,’” Dao Khang told the paper.
Vang Khang was taken into custody by the police. He was later released without charges.
The family’s attorney says that Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan has personally apologized for the mistake.
Vang Khang told the Star Tribune through an interpreter, “Things could’ve been very tragic. Maybe there were spirits watching over us.”
