Deadly St. Paul Police Shooting: Ramsey Co. Requests Help From AG

ST. PAUL, MN — The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office on Tuesday formally requested help from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in deciding whether to file charges in the fatal St. Paul police shooting of 65-year-old Yia Xiong.

The request was filed after the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension turned over its investigative file on Xiong's death to Ramsey County. Xiong was shot and killed in February after police were called to a West Seventh Neighborhood apartment building.

"Our first commitment is to a complete and transparent review of the evidence as presented by the BCA in this matter," said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi in a statement Tuesday.

"The addition of Attorney General Ellison to the review process adds a layer of trust and confidence to our process, and I am grateful for his office’s involvement."

Ellison agreed to help, stating that "We look forward to working with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office in their review of this case. We express our deepest condolences to the family of Yia Xiong as they go through this difficult time."

Since 2016, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has reviewed fatal police shootings itself instead of presenting those cases to a grand jury.

Feb. 11 Police shooting of Yia Xiong

Officers responded to an apartment building around 5 p.m. on Feb. 11 on reports of a man threatening residents with a knife, according to the BCA.

Police yelled at Xiong to "drop the knife!" and "come here!" but he continued walking down a short hallway to his apartment unit, body camera footage shows.

Xiong unlocked his apartment door and went inside. As the door closed, officers kicked it to open it back open again and told Xiong to come out.

Xiong opened the door and stepped into the hallway with an apparent knife still in his hand.

Officers then fired several rounds. Police and first responders treated Xiong but he died at the scene.

BCA crime scene personnel said they recovered a 16-inch traditional Hmong knife at the scene.

Viewer advisory: The following video contains graphic violence