CNN Under Fire After Saying Fresno Shooting is a ‘Milestone’ for Hmong Americans

Police have since stated that the incident was very likely to have been a targeted attack and are currently looking for a motive as well as the two or more suspects who opened fire on the Sunday night football viewing party.

The four victims who were fatally shot were later identified to be Phia Vang, 31, Kalaxang Thao, 40, Kou Xiong, 38, and well-known Hmong singer Xy Lee, 23, who was rushed to the hospital but later passed away during surgery.

A CNN article about the shooting was accused of trivializing the tragedy and carrying an almost celebratory tone after the story was published under the headline, “The Hmong community in California is experiencing another American milestone: Their first mass shooting.”

Several Twitter users shared screenshots of the tone-deaf headline, clarifying that this incident was not the first mass shooting involving Hmong victims, nor should such a heartbreaking crime be considered as a “milestone.”

A Facebook post from user Monica Lee has since gone viral on Facebook and Twitter after she “fixed” the headline for CNN, writing, “The Hmong community in California is Suffering from another failed American policy: mass shooting due to the lack of effective gun control.”

CNN has not yet issued an apology but instead changed the headline to “The Hmong community in Fresno is mourning after a mass shooting killed 4 of its young men.”

Feature Image via CNN (Left), Evening Standard (Right)