In a quiet Maplewood, Minnesota home on March 24, 2014, a family argument over the installation of cable television escalated into a tragic act of violence, ending the life of 36-year-old Asian male, Chue Vang. Chue, who owned the home where he lived with his parents and other family members, found himself in a fatal disagreement with his 84-year-old father, Pang Se Vang. The dispute, which had been simmering, came to a head that morning.
Pang Vang was upset that his son would not pay to have cable installed. The argument intensified, with Chue telling his father he could move out if he was unhappy. Another account suggests the conflict arose when Chue intervened in an argument between his parents about divorce, telling his father to leave.
Following the heated exchange, Pang Vang retreated to his bedroom. When Chue opened the bedroom door to speak with him, his father shot him once in the chest with a rifle. The single gunshot proved fatal, and Chue Vang was found deceased in a hallway of the home when police arrived. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, another son courageously wrestled the rifle away from his father, allowing other family members to flee the residence and call for help.
The arrival of law enforcement marked the beginning of a tense standoff. Pang Vang barricaded himself inside his bedroom and refused to emerge. He then used a knife to inflict wounds upon his own chest and neck. SWAT team members eventually entered the home and found Pang Vang injured. He surrendered to the authorities and was taken to Regions Hospital for treatment of his self-inflicted injuries before being booked at the county jail.
Pang Se Vang was charged with second-degree murder for the death of his son. In August 2014, he pleaded guilty to the charge in Ramsey County District Court. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that he had told his pastor about his anger over the cable television issue on the morning of the shooting. He also told police he would settle the dispute with his deceased son in the afterlife. Before he could be sentenced for the murder, Pang Vang died in the hospital on September 29, 2014.
