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Published Friday, August 11,
2006 Hmong Today
When his younger brother
hadn’t immediately returned
after making his last pizza
delivery on the night of
Sunday, August 6, Neng Xiong,
19, started to worry because
his older brother Toua was
usually on time.
The situation became dire
after a police officer came
to the Pizza Hut to enquire
about a delivery made to a
nearby residence on the
North Side of Minneapolis.
“He came in to ask
questions, but refused to
give me any answers when I
asked him what the problem
was,” Neng recalled from
that tragic Sunday evening.
“That’s when I realized
something was terribly wrong
with Toua.”
Neng would never see his
brother alive again.
Police say that after Toua
had delivered the pizza to
an address on the 2900 block
of Colfax Ave., a group of
men surrounded him as he was
making his way to his car.
As Toua tried to run from
the group, a witness told
authorities that one of the
men from the group raised a
large, shiny handgun and
fired one single shot into
Toua’s back.
The resident of the home
where Toua delivered the
pizza came outside to see if
she could help, but Qunisha
Bishop, 21, was too late.
After only a few whispered
pleas for help, Toua stopped
breathing. By the time the
police arrived, Toua was
dead.
"This is probably one of the
worst killings in
Minneapolis right now,"
Bishop told reporters.
"'Cause he was innocent, he
didn't have anything to with
anything."
Reports indicate that the
group of men who had
confronted Toua fled on
foot, apparently scared off
by neighbors who had heard
the shot.
Police dogs followed the
scent to a nearby bush where
witnesses say three men had
momentarily hid. According
to reports, a chrome .357
handgun was found underneath
the bush.
Two days later, police
arrested 20-year-old
Jermaine Mack-Lynch and
prosecutors have charged him
with second-degree murder.
Mack-Lynch is a convicted
felon with an arrest for
illegal possession of
firearms and is a reported
member of the Tre-Tre Crips
gang, one of the three gangs
that Minneapolis Police are
targeting in a major crime
sweep of North Minneapolis.
Police say a witness has
submitted video footage of
Mack-Lynch brandishing a
chrome handgun only days
before the shooting.
Mack-Lynch admits to having
a gun, but that he had given
that gun to another gang
member. He remains in jail
awaiting further
investigation.
This case in particular has
awoken neighbors in the area
to the fact that crime knows
no racial boundaries. At a
candlelight vigil for Toua,
hundreds of concerned
neighbors showed up to walk
a mile-and-a-half from the
Pizza Hut where Toua worked
to his home where notables
such as Mayor RT Rybak and
Councilman Don Samuels gave
quick speeches.
At a meeting held at the
Urban League, members from
the African-American
community gave their
condolences to the Xiong
family.
Community activist Ron
Edwards apologized to the
family, saying that “no
parent should lose a child
to violence.” He went on to
remind them, however, that
the reality is that “we’re
trying to rid of crime in
the black community as
well.”
Rep. Cy Thao and Sen. Mee
Moua were present for the
meeting, with Rep. Thao
residing as the interpreter
for the family. Though both
are from St. Paul, the two
indicated that they were
there to support the family
in this time of need,
despite being out of their
jurisdiction.
Toua’s mom, Mee Vang,
expressed her thanks to
those who have reached out,
but also criticized the
police for being too late to
save her son who was a
“hard-working tax payer”.
Violent crime in North
Minneapolis, everybody
agreed, has been getting out
of control. Doua Vang, a
truancy worker from the
organization Hmong American
Mutual Association observed
that this year has been the
worst year he’s seen since
taking the job four years
ago.
“People are getting robbed
all the time now, even in
daylight. I have clients
who are afraid to step
outside because everywhere
they turn they see danger.”
Toua’s murder is the 40th
of the year in Minneapolis
and the second murder of a
Hmong in less than a month.
However, unlike Fong Lee who
was killed by a Minneapolis
Police Officer, Toua had no
criminal record and was
considered an innocent
victim.
Remembered as a
hard-working, happy-go-lucky
quiet guy, Toua loved cars
and soccer. Aside from his
job at Pizza Hut, Toua also
worked at an area Chinese
restaurant, delivering
take-out food.
“Toua, or Tony as he liked
to be called, was always
there and never complained,”
remembered Roger Thao who
was Toua’s soccer coach
while Toua was a student at
North High School. “He was
always one of the hardest
working guys on the team,
and whenever I asked him to
do more, he just smiled back
and did what he was told.”
A $25,000 reward offered by
Pizza Hut is still in effect
for the arrest and
conviction of those
responsible for Toua’s
death.
Toua is survived by both his
parents and his ten
siblings. His funeral will
be held at the Legacy
Funeral Home in St. Paul on
August 25 – 27.
A memorial fund has been
set-up for him at:
Toua Xiong
Memorial Fund
C/O US Bank
1030 West Broadway
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55411
Sen. Mee Moua offers the
victim's mother, Mee Vang,
her condolences.
