Police raid wrong house, trade gunfire with family

Hmong man thought intruders were gang members, brother says

Video: Crime & courts

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updated 7:27 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS - Two police officers who raided the wrong house during an investigation were shot at and returned fire, but no one was injured, a police spokesman said.

A language barrier may have created the misunderstanding, even though the officers identified themselves as police, Sgt. Jesse Garcia said.

Family members said the shooter, the father of six, was frightened by the intruders bursting through the back door early Sunday and fired through a closed bedroom door after first firing a warning shot.

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Police said they had received bad information before executing the search warrant as part of an ongoing investigation.

Garcia said "it's unfortunate because we have officers that were hit by gunfire, and this truly, truly could have been a much worse situation."

Family members 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, then two more shots through his closed bedroom door.

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.

The bullets hit two officers, but they were not injured because of their bulletproof vests and helmets.

Several officers returned fire, but no one in the house was injured, the police department said. The man suspected of firing the shots was taken into custody, police said. He was later released, and a decision on whether 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."

Vang's family said he and his children, who range in age from 3 to 15, are still shaken.