Bodycam video shows St. Paul police killing an elderly man approaching them with a knife

St. Paul police on Friday released officer body camera footage of officers confronting a man Saturday in an apartment building hallway and shooting him as he came toward them with a knife in hand.

The video shows officers responding to the Winslow Commons apartments on Western Avenue S., near West Seventh Street, just before 5 p.m. The complex serves people who are 62 and older or disabled.

A 911 caller reported that a man who’d been kicked out of a party in the community room had returned and was threatening people with a knife.

In the video, officers Abdirahman Dahir and Noushue Cha encounter 65-year-old Yia Xiong in a common area. As Xiong walks away, they shout for him to stop and drop the knife. He continues walking down a hall and then into another room and closes the door.

After the police push the door open, Xiong emerges holding a knife in front of him. The officers take several steps back before Dahir fires several shots from his department-issued rifle and Xiong falls. Police said Cha also discharged his Taser.

St. Paul police said the officers performed first aid and called for St. Paul fire medics, who responded and pronounced Xiong deceased on scene.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which typically gets called in on cases involving police use of deadly force, is investigating the shooting. BCA investigators recovered a “16-inch traditional Hmong knife” at the scene. A search warrant said they also recovered five discharged .223 caliber cartridge casings, as well as a Taser.

The BCA said the officers each have one year of law enforcement experience.

Once the BCA finishes its investigation, it will present its findings to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, which will review it for possible charges.