John Jefferson
Lue Chang (Hennepin County Jail).
A Minnesota man murdered his cousin, a popular Thai musician, during a gathering celebrating recent births in the family, according to police.
Lue Chang, 32, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the Sept. 21 shooting death of Nichanon Kittikroekphon, who was reportedly a popular musician in his native Thailand. Witnesses told Brooklyn Park police that about 30 people were at the home for the baby celebration when Chang fired two shots at Kittikroekphon’s front side, who fell to the ground. Chang then fired a third shot into the victim’s back as he tried to crawl away, the affidavit said.
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Some men at the party subdued Chang and took the gun away from him while others called 911. When one person asked why Chang shot the man, the murder suspect allegedly replied “because he disrespected me.” Another witness told police he heard Chang tell Kittikroekphon “today, you are going to die” before he pulled out a gun and shot him. Surveillance video overlooking the yard showed Chang approach Kittikroekphon and say something, appearing to be upset, cops wrote. Kittikroekphon was unarmed and never posed any threat to Chang, detectives noted.
Paramedics rushed the victim to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.
Several children, including one as young as 2, were in close proximity to the shooting, the affidavit said. Cops took Chang to the Hennepin County Jail where he remains on a $1 million bond. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison. His next court date is scheduled for Oct. 21.
According to the Hmong Talk Facebook page, Kittikroekphon was a singer who went by the stage name Tswb Moua. A post described him as a “rising star in Thailand’s music scene” who moved to the U.S. to be with his brother.
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