Man livestreamed standoff before being fatally shot by FBI
Apr 28, 2023, 7:36 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — FBI agents fatally shot a man who barricaded himself inside a Minneapolis home for several hours and livestreamed negotiations with officers as they tried to convince him to surrender.
A federal affidavit released Thursday night identified the man killed as 33-year-old Chue Feng Yang of St. Paul, who also went by the first name Kevin, the Star Tribune reported. Yang used Facebook to livestream and record several minutes of negotiations until he went outside the house with a woman tied to him.
“After barricading himself for several hours, the subject was armed as he emerged from the home,” an FBI statement read. “The subject was fatally wounded, and another individual required medical assistance.”
Yang’s criminal history included convictions for terroristic threats, burglary, illegal firearm possession and auto theft. He also had three outstanding felony warrants for his arrest. Court records indicate that in one case, he and another person were accused of shooting a dog multiple times with a BB gun inside a stolen SUV before abandoning the wounded animal.
In a separate case, Yang was accused of animal cruelty for throwing a pit bully puppy from a speeding pickup being chased by police in January. The dog was injured and had to be euthanized.
An FBI affidavit said officers went to the home early Thursday to arrest Yang in connection with the car theft and noted additional warrants. Agents could see that he was armed with a sawed-off shotgun, according to the affidavit, and Yang allegedly threatened to shoot anyone who came in. He also claimed he would detonate bombs if agents entered.
Yang livestreamed himself twice during the standoff, in which a woman occasionally appears with him. She was hospitalized for an apparent fentanyl ovedose, the affidavit stated, and was in stable condition.
On the livestream, Yang is seen with what appears to be a firearm while someone, apparently a negotiator, speaks on the phone. The negotiator said he was aware that Yang posted a “goodbye message.”
“I know you know you’re in control of this, and you can end this at any time, but it doesn’t mean that you need to end your life or anyone else’s lives today,” the negotiator says.
As the negotiator urges surrender, Yang responds, “I hope y’all brought body bags.”
The livestream also included the woman pleading with Yang, saying, “We have a (expletive) baby coming.”
Yang disappears from the frame, then reappears with the woman tied to him at the waist. A handgun briefly appears to be in her hand while he holds what looks like a shotgun, the Star Tribune reported.
“I love you,” he says, and they walk out the door before shots are fired.
Bystander video posted on Facebook showed tactical unit officers yelling, “Hands!” shortly before gunfire. Soon thereafter, officers surrounded someone on the ground and appeared to perform life-saving measures while others walked a crying woman away.
