Vang told the jury he feared for his life and began firing only after another hunter's shot nearly hit him. He faces three such counts. A judge set bail at $2.5 million for Chai Soua Vang, 36, of St. Paul, Minn., who was jailed on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. When I shined my flashlight on the passenger, I saw he was wearing camouflage and he fit our suspects description, Peery said. Mao was born in 1805, in China. His life began on March 10, 1932 in the country of Laos. He didnt bag a deer the first day, so Vang said he and his friends decided to move over to the Rice Lake area the next day. Therefore, when Vang responded affirmatively to the question that Mr. Crotteau and Mr. Laski "deserved to die," his meaning implied that the men contributed to the circumstances that led to their deaths. Every time its brought up, people feel so bad.. Chai Soua Vang, a hunter and reported military sharpshooter from St. Paul, will die in prison for the murders. Vang, a six-year veteran of the California National Guard, shot eight people while on a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin on November 21, 2004; six were killed and two were wounded. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, D.C.s cherry blossoms coming early due to confusing weather, Biden rallies House Democrats to tout their legislative success to voters, Caregiver accused in Manhattan Beach child sexual abuse case believed to be in Philippines, Prosecution presents closing arguments in Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. His third spilled Hesebeck's guts, who fell stunned and still.[5][6][14]. And I said, 'On purpose?' Shot once through Chai Soua Vang (born September 24, 1968) is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a Hmong immigrant from Laos.While on a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin, Vang shot eight people, who were also hunting in the area, on November 21, 2004.Six were killed and two were left wounded. They occurred about 30 miles from Rice Lake. Communist forces persecuted the Hmong after the war, forcing them to flee to Thailand as refugees. Chai Soua Vang shoots eight people on a hunting trip in Wisconsin in a contested dispute on hunting land Vang trespassed on. Were an extremely close-knit community, said Helen Gubrud, 59, a housewife from Hayward who came to the courthouse to watch Vangs proceedings. Chai Soua Vang, charged with killing six hunters and injuring two others in the woods of northwest Wisconsin in November, took the stand Thursday and outlined in chilling detail how he attacked the hunting party as they ran for cover and screamed for help. Its not easy; itll never be easy, Willers said. Police arrested Chai Vang, but charges never were filed because, according to the police, Xiong did not cooperate with investigators. He pointed it again and fired once. The sadness of it all never leaves, said Culhane, who covered the six-day event. He pointed it again and fired once. Hesebeck testified no shot was fired before Vang started shooting. Most involve family members, co-workers or former co-workers, or innocent strangers in the wrong place at the wrong time. Vang said he dropped to the ground in a crouch, heard a gunshot and saw some dirt nearby puff up. They exhibited no signs of external trauma Every year big bucks are killed on public land. Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. From there, Vangs parents brought their family to the U.S. Chia Soua Vang, 1840 - 1915 Chia Soua Vang 1840 1915. What does that mean? Campbell says he attended the Saint Paul group's forum in Green Bay and he took a dim view of the event. But who was Chai Soua Vang and what led him to commit such a . Chai Soua Vang, 36, of St. Paul, Minn., who is suspected of shooting eight hunters Sunday, is 5-foot-4-inches, according to a court document. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. Vang didn't respond, and at some point Bob Crotteau told the others to let Vang go. Vang is believed to have fired about 20 rounds from a Saiga rifle chambered in 7.6239mm, which was recovered by police. Vang, after reversing his blaze-orange jacket to its camo side, hid near a curve in the trail when he heard the ATV approaching. He wanted to know whether Willers was aware of Chai Vang's ethnicity. 0. Vang, a six-year veteran of the California National Guard, shot eight people while on a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin on November 21, 2004; six were killed and two were wounded. One of the hunters wrote down the number in the dirt-covered ATV. Follow these tips so you dont find yourself being the scourge of everyone else just trying to have a nice time outside and not step in human feces. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. Vang had a 3- to 4-inch wooden stick in his clenched teeth, and his body. number of strategies, such as juxtaposition, abrupt topic shifts, shifting the focus away from the events, etc., to fragment the narrative, which led to contradictions and . No apologyAttorney General Peg Lautenschlager sought the maximum sentence for Vang, a father of seven children. 2023 Minnesota Public Radio | All rights reserved, Listen to an excerpt of Terry Willers' testimony. He asked one hunter for directions, but without either a map or a compass, he continued to wander in confusion through the dense forest. Other than Vang, Willers was the only other man there with a gun. If convicted, Vang faces a mandatory life sentence. He says he shot two of the victims in the back because they were "disrespectful." Vang is the father of seven children. Still, Kohn was not able to break new ground that would explain how he intends to show that Chai Vang was frightened for his life. Further, none of the 83 cases listed from 1920 through 1999 involved hunters. More specifically, of 160 mass shootings (defined as at least three victims) since 1999, only the Chai Vang case involved hunters. Among those killed were father and son Robert and Joey Crotteau and Willers' daughter Jessica Willers. Vang, now 46, is serving a life-without-parole sentence - six consecutive life terms plus . People gather at a picnic in Hunters Memorial Park in Rice Lake, Wis., on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2006. The jury of eight women and four men deliberated 3 hours . Mike Bartz, a retired Wisconsin conservation warden, was the senior law enforcement officer at the crime scene that day. | Ive loved true crime since Forensic Files was Medical Detectives. and her father Dennis Drew at the sentencing hearing of Chai Soua (79 years old). Hesebeck also admitted that he told law enforcement that Robert Crotteau had problems with trespassers in the past, specifically citing Hmong hunters, who often travel to Wisconsin from Minnesota to hunt. HAYWARD, Wis. Ten months after an angry confrontation at a northwestern Wisconsin deer stand erupted in gunfire, leaving six hunters dead, two wounded and an entire community in pain, nine guilty verdicts against Chai Soua Vang brought a sense of relief to families of the victims. The Hmong immigrant was found guilty of murdering six deer hunters and wounding two others during a confrontation over trespassing, rejecting his claims he shot in self-defense after one hunter used racial slurs and another fired at him. "I'm certain that they will be adding that if it is appropriate and if it is something that's going to be provable.". Everyone deals with tragedy and its repercussions differently, and thats no different for the victims families. (AP file photo), Chai Soua Vang gestures as he testifies at his murder trial Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005, in Hayward, Wis. Vang was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the Nov. 21, 2004, shootings in some isolated Sawyer County, Wis., woods. Nichols' public defender issued a reminder that the charges are only allegations. Many of those same people recently declined to speak about the massacre, which received national attention. He was full of himself with all his friends around, even though the other guy had a loaded rifle. Until 2016, Wisconsin required deer hunters to display a 3.5- by 9-inch tag with a seven-digit ID number on their upper back. Gun deer hunting season in northern Wisconsin routinely resurrects the sadness of Nov. 21, 2004, when six people with Rice Lake ties were killed and two others wounded in the Sawyer County woods. The saying "Not a Chinaman's Chance" came from the biased judges and jury when an Asian would go to court against whites. Terry Willers spotted Vang in the usually-unused treestand around 11:15 a.m. and called the cabin with his radio to see who was up there. The Aryan Brotherhood. A handful of people from Twin Cities Hmong community were in the courtroom to show support for Vang. Vang said he hadnt noticed any No Trespassing signs, apologized to Willers and asked where the property line was located. He [didnt] have to yell at me.. He then heard a slight metallic sound from Vangs rifle, and realized Vang was out of bullets. Three of the hunters were gunned down as they tried to protect themselves. He cooperated. Not long after, a similar incident occured where an elderly Hmong man accidentally wandered into a white man's private property and the white man beat the elderly Hmong man to death. Vang family members and friends joined them. A father and son, who had tried to make their escape, were pursued by the. Other companions of Willers arrived, and there was an angry verbal confrontation and threats to report Vang to game wardens for trespassing. Peery said he and most everyone else with the DNR recalls the shootings. Times Staff Writer. Vang sprinted to cut the corner to the trail to close the gap, and shot him in the lower back at about 65 yards. Meteor extends over a large sparsely populated area. The prosecution made use of these facts in arguing against the claim of self-defense.[16][17]. Eight Wisconsin deer hunters were hunted down like prey by a stranger found trespassing on private hunting grounds near Meteor, Wisconsin. They will always grieve, always wonder, always wish they could turn back the clock to that day and never have to live it. CHAI VALE: Do you know you are trespassing 400 acres of land, you damn (beep). Terry Willers was the first eyewitness to the shooting to testify. I'm afraid that we will have missed the boat in not addressing this as a hate crime. Imagine what that would be like for the families to deal with, said Ray Simpson, a Rice Lake man who said he was hunting in the vicinity of the murders. Im sure, from all Ive heard, they were very close families and friends and I hope they only discuss how great those people were and how much love they shared. back 3 times. When it was over, you knew the jury got it right. Shot in the back twice. Crime Profile: The Debra Evans Case. Other guy had a 3- to 4-inch wooden chai soua vang passed away in his clenched,! Make their escape, were pursued by the by 9-inch tag with a seven-digit ID number their. 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