In the fall of 1993, the life of 19-year-old Kai Lor, a Hmong male, came to a violent and abrupt end in St. Paul, Minnesota. On the evening of October 12th, Lor, along with two companions, was involved in an attempted robbery at the Hampden Food Cooperative. The situation quickly escalated when an off-duty St. Paul police officer, David Timm, who was in the store at the time, intervened.
In the ensuing confrontation, both Kai Lor and his accomplice, Bruce Teng Thao, were shot and killed by the officer.
The aftermath of the shooting revealed a complex and tragic story. A third individual involved in the attempted robbery, 16-year-old Pha Vang, was apprehended and later pleaded guilty to his role in the crime. A Ramsey County Grand Jury was convened to review the actions of Officer Timm. After hearing testimony from witnesses present during the incident, the grand jury returned a "No Bill" decision, effectively meaning that no criminal charges would be filed against the officer for the deaths of Lor and Thao.
However, the grand jury's decision was not without controversy. Members of the Hmong community, led by the Hmong Social Justice Committee, publicly questioned the outcome. They pointed to what they considered to be inconsistencies in the accounts of the event, including conflicting reports about whether a weapon allegedly carried by the young men had been fired. Concerns were also raised about the nature of the injuries sustained by Kai Lor, suggesting a need for a more thorough investigation into the circumstances of his death. The case drew further attention due to a tragic family connection; Kai Lor was the uncle of Ba See Lor, a 13-year-old who had been killed in another police-involved shooting a few years prior.
