Police: Gunmen targeted Hmong home

FRESNO, Calif. — Police searched Monday for two assailants who sneaked into a backyard party in Fresno and opened fire on a small crowd that had gathered to watch football on television. Four people were killed and six wounded.

The house where a group of Hmong family and friends got together was deliberately targeted on Sunday evening, but the shooters fired at random once they saw men in the yard, police said.

“They fired randomly into the crowd. It does not appear that they were targeting any individuals, and once they fired, they fled,” Fresno Police Chief Andrew Hall said.

Hall said there was no immediate word on a motive, and so far there was no indication that any of the victims knew their attackers, although most could not see them. They described seeing only flashes when the semiautomatic pistols were fired. Officers went door-to-door looking for surveillance video that might help them track down suspects.

The party “was not described as being out of control in any way. It was just a family event,” Hall said. The chief said the shooting scene was graphic and that officers are making the case a priority.

“We’ve got a single focus within the organization, and this is not going to be tolerated in the Southeast [Asian] community or any other community in Fresno,” he added.

California has the nation’s highest population of Hmong, a Southeast Asian ethnic minority, and Fresno has the second-highest population in the United States.

The Fresno County coroner’s office identified the dead as Xy Lee, 23; Phia Vang, 31; Kou Xiong, 38; and Kalaxang Thao, 40, all of Fresno.

Three were found dead when emergency crews arrived. A fourth person died at a hospital. Three remained hospitalized Monday in serious condition, Community Regional Medical Center said in a statement.

Pao Yang, CEO of the Fresno Center, a Hmong community group, said two of the victims were well-known Hmong performers, including a man who sang for mental health clients monthly. He said community elders have reached out to the center for help in the wake of the violence.

“Our community is in mourning, and we still don’t know what’s going on, or who are the suspects,” he said.

Hall said police were investigating whether the shooting was connected to a recent disturbance involving some of the people at the party.

He also announced the establishment of an Asian gang task force ahead of the Hmong New Year out of concern about the possibility of more violence or retaliation.

Concepcion Soto, who has lived next door to the home where the shooting occurred for 12 years, said the family there was always friendly.

“They would have parties in their backyard, but they wouldn’t play music. They would just drink and talk,” she said. “They have been very good neighbors.”

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., who represents the Fresno area, said he was saddened to hear of another shooting “this time in my own district.” He said in a statement that “thoughts and prayers are not enough!” and urged lawmakers to take up gun-control legislation.

There have been eight mass killings in California so far this year, claiming the lives of 33 people, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.

That’s a dramatic increase from previous years, with eight mass killings in the state for all of 2016-2018.

The increase mirrors the national trend in 2019. There have been 39 mass killings this year in the United States, compared with 25 in 2018, according to the database, which tracks homicides where four or more people are killed, not including the offender.