In the late hours of a Sunday evening in Joplin, Missouri, a dispute over something as commonplace as the music being played would tragically escalate, cutting short the life of 36-year-old Toua Y Lee, a Hmong man. On June 7, 2020, inside the Bites N Pipes hookah lounge, what began as a disagreement over an iPad being used for music spiraled into a violent outburst that would leave two men dead and another injured.
Lee, who was not involved in the initial argument, found himself in the path of unexpected and fatal violence.
The evening took a dark turn when Raymond Badios, then 20 years old, became embroiled in a physical altercation concerning the iPad. After the fight, Badios retrieved a firearm. As he was seemingly about to exit the establishment, he turned back and opened fire. His first shot struck Toua Y Lee. He then fired again, injuring another person, before turning his attention to 30-year-old Chong K. Xiong, whom he shot multiple times. Both Toua Y Lee and Chong K. Xiong succumbed to their injuries at the scene. In the chaotic moments that followed the gunfire, other patrons in the lounge bravely intervened, tackling Badios and holding him until law enforcement arrived.
In the wake of the deadly shooting, the Joplin Police Department quickly took Raymond Badios into custody. He was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of assault, and three counts of armed criminal action. The investigation that followed confirmed that the senseless violence was not connected to any prior incidents at the lounge. The case against Badios moved through the justice system, and in April 2022, he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and armed criminal action. For his role in the tragic deaths of Toua Y Lee and Chong K. Xiong, Raymond Badios was sentenced to life in prison.
