Posted on 11/23/2004 11:17:04 AM PST by whodeani
Suspect says hunters provoked him
Vang says he was surrounded, called names and shot at before shootings
By JOHN DIEDRICH, LEE BERGQUIST and TOM HELD jdiedrich@journalsentinel.com Posted: Nov. 23, 2004
Hayward - The suspect arrested for shooting eight hunters, killing six of them, says he was surrounded by the group, called derogatory racial names and shot at before he opened fire, according to court records released today.
His account differs sharply from details released Monday by the Sheriff's Department and from the accounts from some of the victims, who describe an essentially unprovoked shooting rampage by Chai Soua Vang, a 36-year-old Hmong man from St. Paul, Minn.
Vang, a truck driver, is suspected in the slayings of six hunters and the wounding of two others, according to a probable cause determination signed by Judge Norman L. Yackel here this morning.
Vang is being held on $2.5 million cash bail.
Officials said the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office will prosecute the case, because of its scope and complexity.
Meanwhile, The two survivors continued to improve, officials said.
Terry Willers, the first hunter shot who was hit in the neck, was upgraded from serious to fair at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield today.
Lauren Hesebeck, 48, was released from the hospital Monday night before 9 p.m. He was shot in the shoulder.
Theresa Hesebeck, also the sister of Denny Drew, who died Monday night, said the family was trying to regroup on Tuesday morning and that her husband was recovering at home.
"Your place is at home at a time like this," she said.
The couple have a blended family that includes seven children.
David Drew, a brother of Denny Drew, said Tuesday he was trying to come to grips with the death of his brother and close friends.
A prayer vigil is set for 7 tonight at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Haugen, where three of the victims lived.
Complete coverage of this story will appear online later today and in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in the morning.
"Maybe their guns were lost as they crawled on their bellies in search of deer."
ROFLMAO! Man, I miss Kerry. He was a laugh a minute, wasn't he?
Nope. Vang will hang for this.
Did he get convicted on any of the charges? Especially threatening with firearms (though I have a feeling that in Wisconsin, a simple display in a legitimate self-defense situation might get a conviction)? I have a neighbor at my rural vacation home who's been caught baiting deer on another neighbor's property. I'm sure he's a scumbag, but I'm not really worried about him suddenly slaughtering a bunch of people without warning.
Should the mods be asked to pull that thread then?
He should have considered that possibility prior to the act of TRESSPASSING !
Probably would be a good idea. I didn't go to the poster's original source, and so assumed there was really a connection.
ahh, apparently he pointed a gun at his wife and threatened to kill her but she refused to cooperate with police and charges were never pursued.
Can't speak to what happened here except what is evident, but I have yet to call an armed man names.
Yep I am sure you are right, One thing I learned real fast when I live in that neck of the woods is stay out of posted areas, and don't go near someone's else deer stand.
Rambo: There wouldn't be no trouble except for that king shit cop! All I wanted was something to eat. But the man kept pushing Sir.
Trautman: Well you did some pushing on your own John.
Rambo: They drew first blood, not me.
Trautman: Look Johnny, let me come in and get you the hell out of there!
Rambo: They drew first blood...
Well, if you knew this provate property is VERY CLOSE to public land... I hunted alot of public land in my day, and I too have trespased on accident... You act like private property has signs every 5ft...
A better question would be, is it credible for a group of hunters to in the woods on opening day unarmed...
Let me explain Wisconsin Deer hunting. In this part of the state at least a lot of hunters (including this group) go to a cabin for the week where they set up camp. This is where the victims were coming from. They got a call on their walkie-talkies that one of their party was shot and responded by trying to help and call 911. They came to assist on ATVs and apparently left their firearms at the camp (They were not actively hunting at the time of the incident) probably because they though their friend had been accidently shot rather than being murdered. Rembember two of the victims were father-son and two more were father-daughter and other family connections. I can't imagine the horror of seeing your child or parent killed in front of you.
Who the hell radios to inform someone that someone has been shot without mentioning that there is a rampaging shooter on the lose?
A crippling flaw in Vang's "They shot at me first" defense is that no spent brass attributable to any of the hunter's weapons was found at the shooting sites. Apart from that, and this is nothing more than anecdotal, I understand, but this happened in my neck of the woods, I knew/know some of the victims and their families, from work, church functions, and socially, and Vang's story just doesn't ring true to what I know of the Crotteau, Drew, Hesebeck, and Willers families. The Thanksgiving Weekend hereabouts is pretty somber this year, what with a half dozen wakes and funerals. Damned near no one in the area is untouched in some way or another by this senseless tragedy.
For any that care, donations may be made to:
Rice Lake Hunters Survivors and Victims Fund
Dairy State Bank
16 S. Main St.
Rice Lake WI 54868
Phone 1-(715)-234-9181
FAX 1-(715)- 234-1582
Wire Transfers may be made through
Banker's Bank, Madison WI
Phone 1-(608)-833-5550
FAX 1-(609)-829-5590
Rtg # 075912479 Acct # 119949
Attention: Hunters Survivors and Victims Fund
So you justify his actions?
They called him names and harrassed him so he gets to blow six people away?
Geez!
I find it hard to believe that eight people shooting, presumably more than once each, missed both him and the deer stand he was in completely. Are they all that bad of a shot? And he is such a crack sniper that he shot all eight with his SKS with only ten bullets?
The fact is neither of us knows exactly what was said, but I know from experience that those radios can be pretty hard to hear at times so who knows what the second group heard. The may have only heard selected words and responded.
OK, don't like being called a troll... I'm done with this conversation soon as civility breaks down and people resort to liberal name calling.... I just want people to wait for more evidence.. thats all...
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