MINNEAPOLIS — Two officers who raided the wrong house during an investigation were shot at and returned fire, but no one was injured, a police spokesman said.
Family members said the shooter, the father of six, was frightened by the intruders early Sunday and fired through a closed bedroom door after first firing a warning shot.
The SWAT team's erroneous search was part of an ongoing investigation, the police department said in a news release. Police said they had received bad information before executing the search warrant.
"It was some bad information that was received on the front end and it's unfortunate because we have officers that were hit by gunfire and this truly, truly could have been a much worse situation," said Sgt. Jesse Garcia.
Family members living in the house said they were upstairs when they heard someone bust through their back door. They said Vang Khang grabbed his hunting gun to protect himself, his wife and his six children.
"He thought they were gang members and he was scared," said Vang's brother, Dao Khang. Dao Khang said Vang fired a warning shot, and then two more shots through his closed bedroom door.
The bullets hit two officers, but they weren't injured. Police said bulletproof vests and helmets saved the officers from harm.
Several officers returned fire but no one in the house was injured, the department said. The man suspected of firing the shots was taken into custody, police said. He was later released, and A DECISION TO CHARGE HIM was pending.
"All these gunshots in the house," Dao Khang said. "They don't know what's going on. Flying bullets in the house and they just cried."
The officers, who weren't identified, were placed on administrative leave while the incident is investigated, which is standard procedure. The officers said they identified themselves as police.
Garcia said a language barrier may have created the misunderstanding. Vang is Hmong and does not speak English, according to Sang Vang, executive director of the Hmong American Mutual Assistance Association, a social services agency.
Vang's family said he and his children, who range in age from 3 to 15, are still shaken.
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"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law', because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual."
-Thomas Jefferson
wow, that's quite a screw up on their part. If they charge this man with something, I'm gonna be so angry because it's total BS. If someone broke in my front door, and I know that I'm a law abiding citizen with no warrants of any kind, only 1 parking ticket in my life, I'd probably react the same way. Even if someone broke into my house and identified themselves as police, I'd still be shooting, especially if they were wearing hoods and not holding a warrant. I've heard of MANY reports where robbers were wearing some vests that were painted to look like police tactical vests and broke in identifying themselves as police, and then robbed a place. I say it was an honest mistake on the police's part, and an honest mistake on the homeowner's part. Let everybody learn from that, and maybe the police will do better investigating on their info and not be so quick to break into someone's home.
Yeah, I like how the cops screw the pooch on this and are given administrative leave (Paid vacation), and the poor homeowner spends time in a cell, most likely had his gun confiscated (stolen), and now has to worry about being charged!!! WTF!!
__________________ *************************************************
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law', because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual."
-Thomas Jefferson
__________________ *************************************************
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law', because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual."
-Thomas Jefferson
back when i used to do drugs a friend/dealer of mine got his house raided and he thought he was getting robbed the only thing that told him they were cops was the tear gas. but if it wasnt for the tear gas he said he would have started shooting.
WTF!!
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