11-24-2004, 05:11 PM
Any hunters in the house?????
Five hunters were killed and three wounded in a deadly shoot-out in the Wisconsin forests at the start of the state's deer hunting season. A 36-year-old man, Chai Soua Vang, was in custody yesterday, suspected of opening fire on his fellow hunters after a row over access to a tree stand. Vang allegedly went on an armed rampage through a forest in the north-west of the state on Sunday when challenged over his right to use the raised platform, murdering the five, one of them a woman, with a rifle. "It was like he was chasing after them to kill them," said Tim Zeigle, of Sawyer County Sheriff's Department. "The bodies were a long way from one another." Vang, a member of the exile Hmong minority from Laos, who aided the Americans in the Vietnam war, got lost in the woods after the shootings and was helped out by two other sportsmen unaware of the carnage nearby. As he emerged, he was arrested. "When he was taken into custody, his gun was empty and I bet those guys are thanking their lucky stars," Mr Zeigle said. Hunting parties erect tree stands to get a better view of surrounding forest. Using someone else's is regarded as bad form.
A sixth hunter is dead after a murderous shooting spree in a northwest Wisconsin woods.
A Hmong-American, Chai Vang, is under arrest for the shootings. His brother said he doesn't believe his sibling could do such a thing.
The incident happened in Meteor, near Rice Lake in northwest Wisconsin. On Monday night, people in Sawyer County held a vigil for the eight hunters who became the hunted.
"All eight of the victims are residents of Barron County," said Sheriff Tom Richie, of the Barron County Sheriff's Dept. "They're all very well-known and well-respected."
Rice Lake area hospital workers said two of the survivors are in stable condition with serious wounds. The third, who was in intensive care, died Monday night.
"He had an abdominal gun shot wound and had extensive injuries to his large and small bowel, as well as stomach and pancreas," said an unidentified doctor at Lakeview Medical Center.
Authorities said the shooting makes no sense.
Sawyer County Sheriff James Meier said Vang was lost when he wandered onto 400 acres of private land and went up a deer stand. One hunter in a party on that land noticed him, approached him, and asked him to come down.
"(The) suspect got down from deer stand, walked about 40 yards and fiddled with his rifle. He took the scope off the rifle, he turned and open fire on the group," Meier said.
One of the men shot used a radio in his cabin to call for help. But, the rescuers on ATVs came under fire, too, police said.
"They attempted to rescue the wounded, and at that time the gunman opened fire again on them and shot several of them," Meier said.
Ritchie said an SKS semi-automatic rifle was used. He described Vang's demeanor as "extremely calm" after authorities picked him up in a nearby private wooded area.
"The most frequently asked question is how could somebody do such a horrific, inhumane act?" said Ritchie.
Authorities are also still looking for two people they believe Vang was with earlier in the day.
As for Vang's background, the 36-year-old is a father of six children. He has been a United States citizen for 25 years and he had served in the army. He also had a valid hunting license.
Police say Vang lived on the East Side of Saint Paul, Minn. Records show police were called to his house twice in the past year on domestic violence calls. But, both were resolved without incident, and no reports were filed.
Minneapolis police said they arrested Vang on Christmas Eve of 2001 after he waived a gun and threatened to kill his wife. But, he was never charged because his wife wouldn't cooperate with authorities.
Five hunters were killed and three wounded in a deadly shoot-out in the Wisconsin forests at the start of the state's deer hunting season. A 36-year-old man, Chai Soua Vang, was in custody yesterday, suspected of opening fire on his fellow hunters after a row over access to a tree stand. Vang allegedly went on an armed rampage through a forest in the north-west of the state on Sunday when challenged over his right to use the raised platform, murdering the five, one of them a woman, with a rifle. "It was like he was chasing after them to kill them," said Tim Zeigle, of Sawyer County Sheriff's Department. "The bodies were a long way from one another." Vang, a member of the exile Hmong minority from Laos, who aided the Americans in the Vietnam war, got lost in the woods after the shootings and was helped out by two other sportsmen unaware of the carnage nearby. As he emerged, he was arrested. "When he was taken into custody, his gun was empty and I bet those guys are thanking their lucky stars," Mr Zeigle said. Hunting parties erect tree stands to get a better view of surrounding forest. Using someone else's is regarded as bad form.
A sixth hunter is dead after a murderous shooting spree in a northwest Wisconsin woods.
A Hmong-American, Chai Vang, is under arrest for the shootings. His brother said he doesn't believe his sibling could do such a thing.
The incident happened in Meteor, near Rice Lake in northwest Wisconsin. On Monday night, people in Sawyer County held a vigil for the eight hunters who became the hunted.
"All eight of the victims are residents of Barron County," said Sheriff Tom Richie, of the Barron County Sheriff's Dept. "They're all very well-known and well-respected."
Rice Lake area hospital workers said two of the survivors are in stable condition with serious wounds. The third, who was in intensive care, died Monday night.
"He had an abdominal gun shot wound and had extensive injuries to his large and small bowel, as well as stomach and pancreas," said an unidentified doctor at Lakeview Medical Center.
Authorities said the shooting makes no sense.
Sawyer County Sheriff James Meier said Vang was lost when he wandered onto 400 acres of private land and went up a deer stand. One hunter in a party on that land noticed him, approached him, and asked him to come down.
"(The) suspect got down from deer stand, walked about 40 yards and fiddled with his rifle. He took the scope off the rifle, he turned and open fire on the group," Meier said.
One of the men shot used a radio in his cabin to call for help. But, the rescuers on ATVs came under fire, too, police said.
"They attempted to rescue the wounded, and at that time the gunman opened fire again on them and shot several of them," Meier said.
Ritchie said an SKS semi-automatic rifle was used. He described Vang's demeanor as "extremely calm" after authorities picked him up in a nearby private wooded area.
"The most frequently asked question is how could somebody do such a horrific, inhumane act?" said Ritchie.
Authorities are also still looking for two people they believe Vang was with earlier in the day.
As for Vang's background, the 36-year-old is a father of six children. He has been a United States citizen for 25 years and he had served in the army. He also had a valid hunting license.
Police say Vang lived on the East Side of Saint Paul, Minn. Records show police were called to his house twice in the past year on domestic violence calls. But, both were resolved without incident, and no reports were filed.
Minneapolis police said they arrested Vang on Christmas Eve of 2001 after he waived a gun and threatened to kill his wife. But, he was never charged because his wife wouldn't cooperate with authorities.
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