FBI agent shot and killed armed suspect in Minneapolis
Man livestreamed standoff before FBI shooting
An armed man who was shot and killed by an FBI agent Thursday morning in Minneapolis was livestreaming his final moments. The shooting is also detailed in a search warrant issued Thursday related to the standoff. The search warrant was issued after the deadly shooting, to allow investigators to search the home on Dupont Avenue near Dowling Avenue in Minneapolis' Folwell neighborhood.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - FBI agents shot and killed a man while trying to serve an arrest warrant in Minneapolis Thursday afternoon.
The FBI Minneapolis branch said federal agents and SWAT operators were serving a high-risk arrest warrant around 6 a.m. on the 3700 block of Dupont Avenue North. The subject of the warrant, identified by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara as Chue Feng Yang, barricaded himself inside the home.
Investigators say the Yang was armed and had a history of trouble with the police, including two animal abuse cases in the last two years. One of the cases involved a dog thrown from a moving car during a police chase. A carjacking stemming from that incident is what prompted Thursday's attempted arrest.
The standoff went on for several hours and Yang livestreamed on social media from inside the house where he was seen holding a sawed-off shotgun and wasn’t cooperating with negotiators.
"During the course of this incident, which went on for several hours, this person was on social media videotaping what was happening from inside the residence live," said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara.
Yang allegedly threatened to shoot FBI agents and claimed to have bombs inside the home which he would detonate if they entered. He also said he hoped the FBI brought "body bags," according to a search warrant.
Around noon, Yang was heard on the livestream occasionally arguing with a woman inside the home before they tied themselves together at the waist and went out the front door.
He pointed the sawed-off shotgun at the woman’s head and law enforcement shouted for the pair to show their hands. Federal agents determined Yang was an "immediate threat" to the woman’s life and shot him, according to the search warrant.
Yang was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The woman was taken to the hospital to be treated for an apparent fentanyl overdose.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said during the incident a deputy discharged a less lethal launcher. No Minneapolis police officers were involved in the use-of-force incident but were present in helping to control the scene.
The FBI is handling the investigation.
"The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under investigation by the FBI's Inspection Division," the FBI said in a statement on Twitter.