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.
Read the thread. I was responding to another poster that asked the question.
Already in play. I'm betting he next shifts to a PTSD insanity defense, "flashback" to his prior experience in SEA. any takers?
Gee, you think it maybe was as simple as "hey buddy, this is private posted property, please leave?". Mr Vang, says "make me" and starts shooting?
Deer Hunter? I always thought the movie was called Beer Hunter.
EVEN if he was shot at first (and that's assuming a lot - reports are saying no spent shell casings from the single rifle carried by one of the victims - so looks like that's a no go already) self-defense is justified ONLY to the extent necessary to repel deadly force. It does not justify shooting a whole bunch of people down as they flee - the bodies were found scattered through the woods.
You have the facts, you just refuse to acknowledge them.
Its possible... hard to believe...
"For some reason I want to believe this man... I think he thought he was going to get lynched..."
===
I don't understand why you think this. Unless you didn't know about all the accounts other than his. Perhaps I'm at an advantage and live close enough that every single local news station in the area updates this story several times a day/night.
I tend to believe the witnesses/sheriffs/others. Vang willingly left the tree stand, walked 40 yards, turned around and then stalked and shot them.
yea its hard to pick up a shell casing isn't it? the firearms should have been checked to see if they were fired!
Record? I haven't heard that. But in any case, it would be inadmissable until sentencing.
What in the Wide Wide World of Sports does this mean? It is a word that seems to have materialized out of the blue.
Not really. We'll allow him to plead self defense on the one count for the one victim who was armed.
Hang him on the other 5 counts of 2nd degree murder.
He was arrested for for illegally taking game before.
He also said he got down out of the deer stand and was leaving when he was shot at.
Doesn't seem like he was commiting any trespass up to that point. After all, anybody can make a mistake when it comes to knowing where the property line is. Remember, we have different game laws than you down in Louisiana. You can't just go bagging passersby who knock at your door. There must be a reason.
Eventually we will know more. My first guess was somebody in the hunting party took a pot shot at him which touched off a pretty serious gunbattle. He was the better shot.
It's pretty hard to believe that he shot 8 people and killed 6 of them too, but hey, it happened.
Maybe you've never seen a tree stand. One cannot be 'pushed and shoved' off it. He willingly left the tree stand, walked 40 yards away, turned back and fired.
See 146
I live in the general area this happened and I don' think racial tensions are that high. Are there still some people who don't get it and are racist? Sure, but for the most part the Hmong people in this area have impressed people and are generally accepted. I don't agree with the "racial tension" premise at all.
I read an account yesterday which stated his SKS was fitted with a "twenty round" magazine. I don't know much about the SKS and it's accessories but I suspect it's more likely a 30 rounder. I believe the SKS uses a nondetachable mag so it must be loaded from stripper clips. That would fit with what happened, maintaining a high rate of fire against multiple victims. When caught his chamber and mag were empty, so probably the only ammunition he had was in the magazine.
And yes, he did shoot some of the victims several times. I'm sure he went over the killing ground and finished some of the wounded off.
So far no pictures have been released of the rifle, it will be interesting to see if it has a large capacity mag fitted. I believe that hunting regulations in Wisconsin (& most other states) limit mag capacity to five rounds for center-fire rifles.
Regards,
GtG
PS Wisconsin does not have the death penalty, so we'll be paying $35,000/year for the next 40 or so years to keep this little cockroach warm and happy.
He was in our Army.
The soldiers did not lose the Viet Nam War!
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