Adding fuel to the fire

A Minneapolis family is angry, and rightfully so, after the city gave medals to eight police officers who raided the family's home last year. Problem is, the family had done nothing wrong. The SWAT officers burst into their home, busting through doors and windows, based on bad information from an informant about a gang member's weapons stash. Vang Khang, thinking his home was being robbed by armed intruders, fired at the officers through a bedroom door. The SWAT officers returned fire. Amazingly, no one was hurt in the shootout, but the family's home was riddled with bullet holes, and broken glass was everywhere. Khang's wife, Yee Moua, shown above next to a broken, boarded-up window, told the AP that her family is "a mess right now" and that her young son, who witnessed the melee, "still has nightmares and needed therapy." The family's lawyer, former U.S. attorney Tom Heffelfinger, said the family has given notice to the city of plans for a lawsuit, and he's skeptical about the timing and motive for the commendations given to the officers. Said police Chief Tim Dolan, who doled out the medals, "The officers put themselves in harm's way. They ... deserved to be recognized." Wouldn't a private pat on the back have been enough, considering the circumstances.