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7.31.2008

Minneapolis police officers get medals for botched raid

It seems that the Minneapolis Police Department is in the habit of giving out medals to officers for stupidity.

Remember the story about the Hmong family whose house got raided and shot up by a SWAT team last December? Police apparently acted on some bad information from an informant and ended up raiding the wrong house, expecting to find a violent gang member.

Only this house was occupied by a family. With six children. And a concerned father wielding a shotgun.


35-year-old Vang Khang, believing the gunmen to be robbers, started shooting at the intruders. They fired back, unloading twenty-two bullets before Khang understood who the men were. When all was said and done, the city eventually apologized to the family for their error.

So this week, eight Minneapolis officers received medals in City Hall for their "valor" in the botched raid.

You've got to be kidding me. The officers were recognized for performing "bravely under gunfire and made smart decisions." That second part is what really kills me.

Meanwhile, one of Khang's kids apparently still has nightmares about the shooting and needs therapy. The family has since abandoned the house and can no longer afford to keep it. And these guys get medals. Something is seriously wrong in Minneapolis.

More here: Minneapolis police: A mistake, an apology and then medals


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