BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — A 32-year-old Brooklyn Park man allegedly shot and killed a man at a family celebration Saturday in Brooklyn Park, according to court documents.
Lue Chang was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder after prosecutors say he shot a man multiple times in a backyard where "numerous children were playing" during a celebration for the birth of multiple children in the family.
Witnesses told investigators that Chang shot the man multiple times before a group of family members jumped on him "to detain him and get the gun away from him," according to the criminal complaint.
Officials say the shooting occurred just after 6:30 p.m. on the 8400 block of Adair Avenue North in Brooklyn Park. When officers arrived, they found a large group, including adults and children, scattered throughout the garage, backyard and inside the home. Investigators say the victim was laying on the ground, unconscious with multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen and back. The man, later identified as 34-year-old Nichanon Kittikroekphon of Coon Rapids, was transported to North Memorial Hospital where he later died.
According to court documents, one of the witnesses who was holding down Chang asked him why he shot Kittikroekphon, and Chang responded "Because he disrespected me." Another witness told police they heard Chang tell Kittikroekphon, "Today you're going to die." The witness said Chang then pulled out a handgun and shot Kittikroekphon.
Video of the shooting allegedly shows the two speaking before the shooting. Prosecutors say Chang looked "somewhat upset" in the video. At one point, Chang is allegedly seen pulling out a gun and shooting an unarmed Kittikroekphon. The video also showed a boy, believed to be about 2 years old, standing with a foot or so of the victim, according to the criminal complaint.
