MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Ramsey County jury found Yia Her guilty on all counts Tuesday night in connection with the June 2013 shooting death of a St. Paul bar owner.
Her, 27, had been charged with one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the incident. The shooting happened at about 2:15 a.m. on June 9, 2013, as Her and another man were at Malina’s Bar playing pool when they were told the bar was closing and it was time to leave.
Her was at the bar with his brother-in-law, Cheng Vang. Her and the bar’s owner, Vone Moua, got into a shoving match. Police said Moua had challenged Her to a game of pool to see whether he would have to leave or if he could stay past the bar’s closing time.
Moua was working at the bar that night with his wife. He and a few other employees tried to force the two men out, and that’s when Vang shot Moua and two other employees. According to the charges, one employee was shot in the torso and another was grazed in the neck by a bullet. Moua was shot in the head and died.
Her told police that he had paid $20 to rent the pool table for two hours, and the argument ensued after he tried to get his money back when the bar closed. His plan, police said, was to come back with Vang’s handgun to scare the owner into refunding the money.
A sentencing date for Her will be set for later this week. He’s facing up to 80 years in prison.
