(79 years old). Crotteau told his son to step away and let Vang pass, and then noticed Vangs backtag holder flipped upside down on his coats upper back. This article cross-reads the 2005 trial of Chai Soua Vang, a Hmong American man who was convicted of murdering six Caucasian hunters in Wisconsin, with the 2008 film Gran Torino, a story of a Korean War veteran who mentors a Hmong American teenager. The Controversial Chai Soua Vang Murders Dire Trip 284K subscribers Subscribe 4.6K Share 82K views 1 year ago In this case, we'll take a dive into a fairly controversial case, in which a man. A few months later, Xiong moved with the couple's five children to live with her parents in Milwaukee. Willers told Vang he was trespassing and directed him away. A jury on Friday convicted an immigrant truck driver of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of six deer hunters during a confrontation over trespassing, rejecting his claims that he fired in. Chai Soua Vang (born September 24, 1968) is a naturalized U.S. citizen and a Hmong immigrant from Laos. "I'd like to see it, but you've got to have the budget for it. This led to an altercation and he claimed self-defense after shooting 6 dead and wounding 2. Not long after, a similar incident occured where an elderly Hmong man accidentally wandered into a white man's private property and the white man beat the elderly Hmong man to death. She argued Vang would kill again unless he was locked up for the rest of his life, given his explosive temperament and lack of true remorse or regret. Vang was convicted of shooting eight Caucasian hunters, killing six in the north woods of Wisconsin. Robert Crotteau, 42, owned [5][6][15], Vang fled the scene on foot and discarded his remaining ammunition, later stating that he did not want to shoot anyone else. once in the back. Two of eight Wisconsin deer hunters survived a shooting rampage Nov. 21, 2004, for one reason: The enraged killer ran out of ammo after firing his SKS 7.6239 semiautomatic rifle 22 times. Includes 24 hour digital access to Ashland Daily Press, Sawyer County Record, Rice Lake Chronotype, Spooner Advocate, and Price County Review. A hunter named Walter Cieslak was driving the ATV, giving a lost, polite hunter a ride. While on a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin, Vang shot eight people, who were also hunting in the area, on November 21, 2004. He then heard a slight metallic sound from Vangs rifle, and realized Vang was out of bullets. Vang returned to retrieve his scope and leave. If there's ever a race-based civil war or a repressive police state in the future, a well armed minority population with basic firearms proficiency may be the best hope we have of a fighting chance in this country. His father was a lieutenant and his mother a nurse in the Hmong Army. "[8][9][10] After following the directions given by Willers, they proceeded to approach Vang further down the trail. A diesel truck was now approaching from camp. According to trial testimony, Vang said he got lost, went into a tree stand on the private land and was asked by another hunter, Terry Willers, to leave. Survivor testifies about fatal shootings in Wisconsin woods. At that point, his life was effectively forfeit so he fought to death, killing as many of his enemies as he could. The Murder of Shanda Sharer. body. Minutes later, Vang said he heard two ATVs draw close and thought they were probably coming for me.. LYDEN: Mark Tang, the jury was. Thank you very much in advance. Vang, a six-year veteran of the California National Guard, shot eight people while on a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin on November 21, 2004; six were killed and two were wounded. Chai Soua Vang, a hunter and reported military sharpshooter from St. Paul, will die in prison for the murders. The jury selection was moved to that area after Vangs defense team expressed fears about being able to find unbiased jurors because of pretrial media coverage. Willers would be temporarily paralyzed by a bullet through his lower neck and upper back, making him unable to use his rifle, the only firearm on site among the landowners. Chai Soua Vang (born September 24, 1968) is a naturalized Hmong American from Laos who was convicted of murder, but claimed self defense. Murders just don't happen in the deer woods; at least not until Chai Soua Vang went on this rampage. The prosecution made use of these facts in arguing against the claim of self-defense.[16][17]. He detailed for the jurors how the other hunters approached him, and how he responded by shooting at each one. Why are we still having these debates? According to court proceedings prior to his conviction, Vang acknowledged shooting the people, including one woman, but . Chai Soua Vang, 37, mailed eight pages of handwritten documents from a priso. Vang raised his rifle in one smooth, continuous sweeping motion as he circled right, kneeled, and aimed at Willers. "And he started to come around with his gun, and I held my gun out in front of me, and believing that he was going to shoot at me, I said, 'Don't you shoot at me, you son of a bitch.'". Share Follow Report this obituary Events There are no events at this time. On September 16, 2005, Chai Soua Vang was found guilty of all six charges of first degree intentional homicide and three charges of attempted homicide. Vang, a six-year veteran of the California National Guard, shot eight people while he unintentionally trespassed upon a hunting group in northern Wisconsin on November 21 . Willers was shot in the neck, temporarily paralyzed. By that time Vang was chasing Joey Crotteau, who fled down a trail. I next thought about moving and I couldn't move. Chai Soua Vang, charged with killing six hunters and injuring two others in the woods of northwest Wisconsin in November, took the stand Thursday and outlined in chilling detail how he attacked the hunting party as they ran for cover and screamed for help. He didnt have time to silence every witness who had seen him transform from trespasser to mass murderer. Willers, meanwhile, had regained feeling in his fingers, and called the cabin for help. On the stand, Hesebeck admitted that Robert Crotteau had called Vang a "Hmong a--hole." He would have easily been another person of color killed by a police officer. Gun deer hunting season in northern Wisconsin routinely resurrects the sadness of Nov. 21, 2004, when six people with Rice Lake ties were killed and two others wounded in the Sawyer County woods. Its been a decade since Bob Crotteau, Joey Crotteau, Denny Drew, Al Laski, Mark Roidt and Jessica Willers were killed by Chai Soua Vang after Vang was confronted about trespassing on the hunting partys private property. 0. He also climbed out of the tree. Further, none of the 83 cases listed from 1920 through 1999 involved hunters. His bail was set at $2.5 million. Everyone has felt a part of the hurt and the pain. There will never be answers for all this, said Rena Einum, a student services staff member at Rice Lake High School, where donated funds were used to present six annual scholarships each of the past 10 years in honor of the hunters. One of the wounded hunters died the next day, bringing the toll to six. Scan this QR code to download the app now. plans and enthusiasm Vang shot Drew next as the Crotteaus fled, and fired three shots at close range while chasing Hesebeck around the UTV. It also brought about a mental solidarity that life is more important than a deer, a disagreement, a misconception and a derogatory comment. He basically single handedly won a firefight against 8 armed whites. Drew and Hesebeck then read the numbers aloud as Willers drew them into the dust on the UTVs hood. He pulled the telescopic sight from his rifle because if I had the scope, I couldnt shoot close distance.. List of rampage killers in the United States, "Shooting suspect had Army sharpshooting badge,", "Hmong Hunter Charged With 6 Murders Is Said to Be a Shaman", "Deer Woods Murder: The Day a Trespasser Killed 6 Hunters", "In Deer Country, a Puzzling Shooting Spree", "THE VANG TRIAL WITNESS: LANDOWNER SWORE AT VANG", http://www.beloitdailynews.com/wisconsin/survivor-owner-of-woods-had-kicked-out-hunters/article_87179c3c-c2ed-5d7e-8007-4f5d19cef6b7.html, "Survivor of hunting clash testifies; Jury in Vang trial is told land owner 'was sick' of Hmong trespassers", "VANG GETS SIX LIFE TERMS FOR KILLINGS JUDGE'S SENTENCE MEANS VANG HAS NO CHANCE FOR PAROLE", "Hunter receives life in prison for killing six men", Court TV's complete coverage of the Chai Vang trial, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chai_Vang&oldid=1141062889, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Wisconsin, Articles with dead external links from December 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021, Articles with dead external links from November 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Six consecutive life terms plus seventy years. My most interesting encounter was inside CP Dodge, home of the IA National Guard. Vang, a six-year veteran of the California National Guard, shot eight people while on a hunting trip in northern Wisconsin on November 21, 2004; six were killed and two were wounded. "All came to Green Bay for one purpose," Campbell says, "and that was to sit down with Pa and explain what was going on and explain why things were moving at the particular pace that they are and what was going to come next and so on." But who was Chai Soua Vang and what led him to commit such a . Willers said he dropped to the ground and heard Vang fire at him. The elder Crotteau again warned Vang he would report him for trespassing, and walked to his UTV to end the confrontation. Vang, a California National Guard member for six years who earned a sharpshooter rating during U.S. Army basic training in 1989, said a shot was fired at him first, although evidence and testimony refute that claim. 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