From Ch 18
Shooting Spree: Sixth Hunter Dies
Marshfield
Nov 22, 2004
Denny Drew died on Monday night at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield. Drew was 55 years old. He was from Rice Lake. He was among the eight people wounded on Sunday afternoon. Authorities say it all started after a hunter was told to leave a tree stand on private property. They say Chai Vang climbed down from the tree and started shooting. Five of the victims died at the scene. Robert Crotteau and his son, Joey were killed along with Al Laski, Mark Roidt and Jessica Willers. Drew was among three others who were wounded. The other two are still in the hospital. Vang was arrested in the case and could be charged with murder. He's from St. Paul, Minnesota.
Twenty-year-old Joey Crotteau died along with his father.
Robert Crotteau 42
Denny Drew died Monday night.
Mark Roidt was among those killed. He was 28.
Al Laski died. He was 43.
Mother Says Son Loved to Hunt
Barron County
Nov 22, 2004
The mother of one of the victims of Sunday's shooting is trying to take comfort in the fact her son died doing something he loved. "I don't know how I feel right now," says Karen Roidt, whose son Mark Roidt died. "I just don't know how I feel right now. I just hope justice is done." Karen says her son loved to go hunting with his father. Mark's friends say he was a fun-loving guy who was always upbeat. "It was just a senseless crime," says Karen. "He doesn't know how many lives have been affected, not just the eight families of the victims."
Community Reacts to Shooting
Rice Lake
Nov 22, 2004
Sunday's shooting in Sawyer County is hitting the Rice Lake community hard. All of the victims were well-known and well-liked in Rice Lake. "Horror, just gut-wrenching horror," says Rebecca Olson. "Who would believe something like this would ever happen? It's awful."
"You hear the names of the people who didn't make it out of the woods and this is a small town, and I did, I knew them all, and it's a terrible thing," says Dan Organ.
Chip Klabough says he's hunted in the Birchwood area and knows the territory well. "There's a ton of public land to hunt on, so why would you have to have an argument about private land or anything -- I don't comprehend it," says Klabough.
Other hunters News 18 talked to say there have been disputes between hunters and land owners in the past, and they say they are surprised something like this didn't happen earlier.
From Ch 13
Sixth Shooting Victim Dies
November 22, 2004
Andrew Fefer
The Sawyer County sheriff says there are thousands of acres of public land in that area available for hunting, but the dispute took place at midday Sunday on four-hundred acres of private land.
When the landowner saw 36-year-old Chai Vang in a tree stand without permission, he radioed to his hunting party.
"He stated over the radio he was going to go and ask the persons to leave," said Sheriff Jim Meier. "He approached the person and asked him to leave at which time the landowners and occupants of the cabin that he was staying at also came on the scene; the suspect got down from the stand, walked about 40 yards, fiddled with his rifle, maybe took the scope off, turned, and opened fire on the group."
That's when Terry Willard radioed for help, but as seven other people came to assist, they became victims as well. Finally, a few other members of the party were able to make a run for help.
"The rescuers, who also came under fire, checked the bodies for signs of life and they grabbed who they could grab and got out of there because they were still under fire."
As the survivors sped toward Birchwood, the shooter reportedly stayed in the woods for another five hours, his exact movements not clear until he was seen by two other hunters.
"They came upon the subject, he reported he was lost, they didn't realize who they were talking to, so out of the goodness of their hearts, they gave him a ride back out at which time they had realized they had Mr. Vang in their presence and offered him a ride to the warden's truck, at which time he was taken into custody."
The suspect, Vang, was described as calm and cooperative, saying nothing that would indicate what specifically led to the gunshots that left victims, dead and wounded, scattered over an area of about a hundred yards.
Monday evening, the family of 55-year-old Denny Drew released a statement through Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake saying that he died at St. Joseph's in Marshfield.