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.
This idiot is nothing but a murderer. I've been called names, but I didn't start killing people. What a stupid statement to make, claiming essentially self-defense.
He said they shot at him.
Okay, if he was surrounded and shot at, then it means these people were armed. If this is true, then you would think they would have been able to take him out before he killed 6 people. Sorry, I'm not buying that bridge.
So, here we go, it is going to be a "racial" issue, and Selma will be reborn again.
Was he, or was he not, armed and trespassing?
I was wondering how long it would take before the race card was played. Anyone here have a pool going?
If they shot first, he would be dead.
He was "surrounded" so he shot an unarmed person?
right on time. we knew this was coming.
Maybe their guns were lost as they crawled on their bellies in search of deer.
I was thinking earlier that we are so quick to judgement on this poacher based on the media reports. What if he was shot at or threatend by a gun first. Self defense is justified. (Even if you are on someone else's private property out in the woods??) But if only one of the hunters had a gun - self defense is unlikely - unless he got "buck fever". I think one of the ladies (one lady?) was shot from behind.
Did this Vang guy ever play for the NBA Pistons?
Sure glad this guy isn't an NBA player...
you don't know the facts of the case, yet you shoot off your mouth on the other thread, thinking the 'racist northern rednecks' claim had merit. Way to go!
The facts, as reported:
Two were out, one with a gun. Came back and saw shooter on stand.
Two called back to cabin to see if anyone should be on stand. Three more joined them. None with guns.
Shooter got down, started to leave. Walked about 40 yards. Removed scope. Started firing.
One of the victims radioed back to cabin that they had been shot. Three more came out to location, unarmed, likely thinking it was just a hunting accident. They too were shot.
Yes, he was both. Be kind of hard to claim self-defense when you are both of those.
Unfortunately for Vang some of his victims lived. His lies will be short lived.
The original story had Vang shooting one of the hunters, who then used a walkie talkie to call for help back at the hunt cabin. Some of the others showed up to help and were shot from ambush.
There's no way he could have shot eight people if they were standing around hurling insults at him. What did they do, just sit there and wait their turn while he shot them one by one? They didn't fight back, or even try to run?
This doesn't matter to the media, of course. They'll go all out now to portray Vang's victims as a bunch of racist gun nuts who had it coming.
further speculation here.
This guy might be an ignorant Asian hillbilly but he at least has learned how to change the subject. Time and time again I have seen stories where a non-white assailant justifies his offenses with the (usually unsupported) claim that the white victim(s) called him a racist name. I have never seen an instance where this canard, once introduced, did not become an integral part of the narrative and serve to lessen and deflect the perpetrator's responsibility for his own actions. They do it because it works, folks.
Who/What is "Hmong?"
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