In the crisp autumn of 1989, the life of a young Hmong boy, 13-year-old Thai Yang, was tragically cut short in St. Paul, Minnesota. On November 16th, a series of events unfolded that would end in a fatal encounter with law enforcement, leaving a community in mourning and raising difficult questions about justice and policing. The day's turmoil began after Yang and his friend, 13-year-old Basee Lor, escaped from a local juvenile correctional facility.
The two boys were later spotted in a
stolen car, which led to a police pursuit. The chase concluded in a field in the neighboring community of Inver Grove Heights. It was there that Inver Grove Heights police officer Kenneth E. Murphy confronted the two teenagers. According to the officer's account, he believed he saw one of the boys holding a weapon and, fearing for his life, discharged his shotgun. What the officer mistook for a weapon was later identified as a screwdriver. Both Thai Yang and Basee Lor were struck by the blast and died from their injuries.
The death of the two young boys sent shockwaves through the St. Paul Hmong community, a close-knit group that had already endured the hardships of war and displacement. Community leaders and family members voiced their outrage, questioning the use of deadly force against two unarmed teenagers. They demanded a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. The incident highlighted deep-seated tensions and a sense of mistrust between the Hmong community and local law enforcement.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Officer Kenneth E. Murphy was not criminally charged in the deaths of Thai Yang and Basee Lor. The decision not to press charges further fueled the community's sense of injustice. The families of the two boys subsequently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Officer Murphy and the City of Inver Grove Heights, seeking accountability for the loss of their sons. The tragic deaths of Thai Yang and Basee Lor remain a painful memory for their families and the St. Paul Hmong community, a stark reminder of a day that ended in irreversible loss.
