Victim ID'd in shooting at Brooklyn Park family gathering

A Coon Rapids man has been identified as the deceased in a shooting at a celebration at a Brooklyn Park home.

According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner, 34-year-old Nichanon Kittikroekphon sustained multiple gunshot wounds Sept. 21 at a home on the 8400 block of Adair Avenue North.

A witness told law enforcement that the gathering was after a ceremony celebrating the birth of children in the family. Per a criminal complaint, many children were present and at least one was in close proximity to the shooting when it took place.

The Brooklyn Park Police Department responded to the scene around 6:30 p.m. to find Kittikroekphon with serious gunshot injuries. He was transported by ambulance to North Memorial Health Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries later that night.

Lue Chang, 32, of Brooklyn Park, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years.

Police obtained surveillance footage of the incident from a camera installed on the home, which shows Chang and Kittikroekphon having a brief conversation before Chang pulls a gun from his waistband and fires two shots at Kittikroekphon. The complaint notes that there was no physical altercation prior to the shooting, and Kittikroekphon was unarmed, "standing still with his hands at his sides."

Per the complaint, the video shows several men confronting Chang and taking away his gun. Before the gun is taken from Chang, however, he shoots Kittikroekphon a third time. The criminal complaint notes that a very small boy, likely "two years old," stands within a foot or so of Kittikroekphon when Chang fires the final shot.

The complaint notes that "numerous" children were present when the shooting occurred and either saw or heard it happen.

Police say when they arrived, Chang was still on scene, being held down by a witness. A black magazine and 9mm rounds were found in his pockets, and a gun and several live rounds were recovered nearby.

The witness that held Chang down reportedly asked Chang why he fired the rounds, to which Chang replied, "Because he disrespected me."

-Compiled by Alaina Rooker and Jack Wiedner