On September 17, 2024, at approximately 12:20 a.m., Lul Dak Chak, a 32-year-old man from Ames, Iowa, was fatally shot in the parking lot behind the Twelve22 Apartments along University Avenue West, near North Griggs Street in St. Paul, Minnesota. Chak had been out bowling with friends for a birthday party earlier that evening.
According to witness statements and surveillance footage, Chak was outside the apartment building with his cousin and a friend when two men exited a Subaru Outback
parked in the lot and began shooting. Chak's cousin reported that he jumped in front of her to protect her from the gunfire. The shooters fired nearly 20 shots, with Chak being struck nine times in his upper body, neck, and face.
The St. Paul Police Department described the incident as a 'targeted and executed' attack. Surveillance video showed the Subaru driving in the area for approximately 20 minutes before the shooting, moving to different locations in the parking lot. After the initial shooting, one of the suspects approached Chak's body and fired additional rounds at close range.
On September 20, 2024, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged Kueth Chuol Ngut, a 22-year-old man from Minneapolis, with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with Chak's death. Ngut was arrested on September 20 at his girlfriend's apartment, where police recovered a handgun matching casings found at the crime scene.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, although one witness mentioned that Chak had stated he was going to purchase narcotics before the incident occurred. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not announced whether the second shooter has been apprehended.
Chak's death has shocked the community, and the case has drawn attention to issues of gun violence and targeted attacks in the St. Paul area. As the legal proceedings against Ngut begin, many are left wondering about the circumstances that led to this tragic event and hoping for justice for Lul Dak Chak.
