Hawj Soobleej Kaub, 35, was killed by California police on June 28, 2021. He was in the process of evacuating a “Lava Fire” which started shortly after 8:30 p.m. due to the fire’s rapid and wind-driven expansion, KDRV reported. Firefighters were staged at the intersection of Shasta Vista Drive and County Road A-12, while police officers closed the latter’s southbound lane to prevent traffic from entering Mount Shasta Vista.
Siskiyou County (16 JULY 2021) Read the full article Hmong American man allegedly fatally shot 60 times by cops during Lava Fire evacuation identified
- After being shot, Hawj died at the scene.
- Kaub was killed in front of his wife & three children, who were traveling in a second vehicle behind him.
- Darren Duck, who reportedly lives near the site of the shooting, said he heard about 60 shots fired. “You heard everybody go to hollerin’ and then rapid gunfire for 30 seconds it seemed like,” he told the Sacramento Bee. “So much gunshots it wasn’t funny.”
- Tou Ger Xiong, who has been following and documenting the incident claimed that they did not see Kaub draw any weapons, but deputies “blast[ed] bullets” into his vehicle anyway.
- Xiong and other protesters allege that Hawj was killed unnecessarily while trying to protect his possessions. Hmong American activists also said the action by the Siskiyou Board of Supervisors unfairly cut members of their community off from their water supply.
What the community is saying: The fatal shooting has escalated tensions between law enforcement & Hmong marijuana growers, who claim that deputies & firefighters stopped them from fighting the fire as it approached their farms. – the Fresno Bee
Zurg Xiong, a community activist, started a hunger strike to protest the incident and fight for justice last week. He claims that officers were watching and laughing at them as they tried to fight the fire.
“The police said he had a gun, the fire department said he didn’t and now we’re at the crossroad of ‘can we get a body cam?” said Yreka resident Dominic Hill. He says the whole situation leaves him angry.
All involved officers, including those from the sheriff’s department, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Etna Police Department, have been placed on paid administrative leave pending completion of an investigation, which is being led by the Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office.
