Chai Vang
Encyclopedia
Chai Soua Vang is a naturalized
U.S.
citizen and a Hmong
immigrant from Laos
. While on a hunting
trip in northern Wisconsin
, Vang shot eight people, who were also hunting in the area, on November 21, 2004. Six were killed and two were left wounded.
According to court proceedings prior to his conviction, Vang acknowledged shooting the people, including one woman, but challenged the chain of events that caused a dispute over a deer stand to become violent and escalate into multiple deaths. Vang, who lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota
at the time of the shootings, is currently being held at Iowa State Penitentiary
.
. Chai Vang lived in Sacramento
and eventually enlisted in the California National Guard.
Vang moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
sometime around 2000. A few years later, he and his family moved a few miles to the neighboring city of St. Paul. Both the Minneapolis and St. Paul police
departments have records of several calls about domestic violence at the Vang residences during this time.
, a region where deer hunting is particularly popular, east of Birchwood, Wisconsin
around the town of Meteor
. Meteor extends over a large sparsely populated area. The land in the area is a mix of public and private. It is believed that Vang and his friends began their day on public land, but he later went onto a private 400 acre
(1.6 km²) tract of land.
On Sunday, November 21, a hunting party of about 15 people were in a cabin on this private land. Terry Willers, one of the two co-owners of the land, left the cabin and saw Vang sitting in a deer stand. He used a handheld radio
to ask the people still in the cabin whether or not anyone should be in the stand. Upon receiving a response in the negative, he began to approach Vang and called to him to leave the private land. After asking for directions, Vang proceeded to walk away towards a trail through a forested area of the property. At that point five of the hunters from the cabin who had heard the radio message arrived on ATVs. Robert Crotteau, the other co-owner, reportedly implied that Vang should be reported to the Department of Natural Resources for trespassing and suggested making a note of his hunting license number. Terry Willers wrote the number in the dust on one of the ATVs.
The events after the confrontation are disputed. A violent altercation broke out and four of the eight victims were shot in the back, and three of these four were hit by multiple rounds. Vang is believed to have fired about 20 rounds from a Saiga
rifle chambered in 7.62x39. One of the wounded hunters died the next day, bringing the toll to six dead and two wounded.
Vang was apprehended about five hours after the shootings and was placed in custody of the Sawyer County Jail on November 24, 2004. His bail was set at $2.5 million.
Those who were killed:
Those who were wounded:
" and "gook
". On the stand Hesebeck admitted Robert Crotteau had called Vang a 'Hmong a--hole.' Hesebeck also admitted that he told law enforcement that Robert Crotteau had had problems with trespassers in the past, specifically citing Hmong hunters, who often travel to Wisconsin from Minnesota to hunt. The term "Mud Duck" is often used in Western Wisconsin to refer to Minnesota residents, similar to "Cheesehead" being used to describe Wisconsin residents. Willers used this term to describe Chai Vang when he radioed back to the cabin. The term has no racial connotation, although the defense claimed it did. It is unknown how Willers and the others knew that Vang was from Minnesota.
The criminal complaint states that Vang shot four of the victims in the back, and Vang himself admits he shot one victim in the back. He also shot many of the victims multiple times. The prosecution made use of these facts in arguing against the claim of self-defense.
, and bused about 280 miles (450.6 km) northwest to Sawyer County, where they were sequestered.
Vang told the jury he feared for his life and began firing only after another hunter's shot nearly hit him. He detailed for jurors how the other hunters approached him, and how he responded by shooting at each one. He says he shot two of the victims in the back because they were "disrespectful". He recounted with clarity how he killed each victim. While saying on the stand, "(he wished) it wasn't happening," Chai Soua Vang contended that three of the hunters deserved to die:
"Did Mr. Crotteau deserve to die?" Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager asked.
"Yes," Chai Soua Vang replied.
Vang further testified that Joseph Crotteau deserved to die "because he accused me of giving him the finger and tried to cut in front of me to stop me from leaving." And Laski deserved to die because he had a gun, he said., Vang re-enacted his deeds while on the stand, using his hands and arms to imitate the motions of firing a rifle. Vang's lawyers commented that some of his abnormal remarks were possibly due to the language barrier. Therefore, when Vang responded affirmatively to the question that Mr. Crotteau and Mr. Laski "deserved to die," his meaning implied that the men contributed to the circumstances that led to their deaths.
was one of 12 states in the U.S.
that did not have the death penalty.
The greater Hmong community has suffered from negative reactions from the news and media. Directly after the shootings, bumper stickers with the lettering of "Save a deer, Shoot a Hmong" appeared in the midwest furthering racial tensions. Simultaneously, caucasians have taken upon themselves to "educate" the Hmong population on hunting and firearms regulations. Community forums were held to address racial tensions; however, these meetings ultimately failed to address the concerns of the Hmong community and became "American hunting and firearms" workshops.
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen and a Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
immigrant from Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. While on a hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
trip in northern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Vang shot eight people, who were also hunting in the area, on November 21, 2004. Six were killed and two were left wounded.
According to court proceedings prior to his conviction, Vang acknowledged shooting the people, including one woman, but challenged the chain of events that caused a dispute over a deer stand to become violent and escalate into multiple deaths. Vang, who lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
at the time of the shootings, is currently being held at Iowa State Penitentiary
Iowa State Penitentiary
The Iowa State Penitentiary is an Iowa Department of Corrections maximum security prison for men located in the Lee County, Iowa community of Fort Madison....
.
History
Chai Vang is the father of six children, a family shaman, and a hunting enthusiast. Vang and his brothers came to the United States from Laos in 1980 and initially settled in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Chai Vang lived in Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
and eventually enlisted in the California National Guard.
Vang moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
sometime around 2000. A few years later, he and his family moved a few miles to the neighboring city of St. Paul. Both the Minneapolis and St. Paul police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
departments have records of several calls about domestic violence at the Vang residences during this time.
Shootings
On the weekend of the shootings, Vang went out deer hunting with two friends and their two sons in northwest WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, a region where deer hunting is particularly popular, east of Birchwood, Wisconsin
Birchwood, Wisconsin
Birchwood is a village in Washburn County, Wisconsin, USA. The population was 518 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Birchwood.-Geography:Birchwood is located at ....
around the town of Meteor
Meteor, Wisconsin
Meteor is a town in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.2 square miles , of which, 34.4 square miles of it is land and 0.8 square miles of it is...
. Meteor extends over a large sparsely populated area. The land in the area is a mix of public and private. It is believed that Vang and his friends began their day on public land, but he later went onto a private 400 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
(1.6 km²) tract of land.
On Sunday, November 21, a hunting party of about 15 people were in a cabin on this private land. Terry Willers, one of the two co-owners of the land, left the cabin and saw Vang sitting in a deer stand. He used a handheld radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
to ask the people still in the cabin whether or not anyone should be in the stand. Upon receiving a response in the negative, he began to approach Vang and called to him to leave the private land. After asking for directions, Vang proceeded to walk away towards a trail through a forested area of the property. At that point five of the hunters from the cabin who had heard the radio message arrived on ATVs. Robert Crotteau, the other co-owner, reportedly implied that Vang should be reported to the Department of Natural Resources for trespassing and suggested making a note of his hunting license number. Terry Willers wrote the number in the dust on one of the ATVs.
The events after the confrontation are disputed. A violent altercation broke out and four of the eight victims were shot in the back, and three of these four were hit by multiple rounds. Vang is believed to have fired about 20 rounds from a Saiga
Saiga-12
The Saiga-12 is a Kalashnikov-pattern 12 gauge combat shotgun available in a wide range of configurations. Like the Kalashnikov rifle variants, it is a rotating bolt, gas-operated gun that feeds from a box magazine...
rifle chambered in 7.62x39. One of the wounded hunters died the next day, bringing the toll to six dead and two wounded.
Vang was apprehended about five hours after the shootings and was placed in custody of the Sawyer County Jail on November 24, 2004. His bail was set at $2.5 million.
Victims
The victims were part of a group of about 15 people who made an annual opening-weekend trip to the Crotteau-Willers property. Among those killed were father and son Robert and Joey Crotteau and Willers' daughter Jessica Willers.Those who were killed:
- Robert Crotteau, 42
- Joey Crotteau, 20
- Alan Laski, 43
- Mark Roidt, 28
- Jessica Willers, 27
- Denny Drew, 55
Those who were wounded:
- Lauren Hesebeck, 48
- Terry Willers, 47
Investigation
There have been conflicting reports about what may have led to the shootings. According to subsequent oral statements by Vang, one of the local hunters, Terry Willers, took the first shot at him from about 100 feet (30 m) away, and therefore the shootings were in self-defense. No shell casing was ever recovered from Willers' gun even though during the trial Hesebeck admitted to firing a single shot later during the incident when Vang, noticing that Hesebeck was still alive, fired at him again. Hesebeck testified no shot was fired before Vang started shooting. Additional forensic analysis of Willers' gun was not performed by the local law enforcement. The statements of both Vang and Hesebeck state that Vang removed the scope from his rifle before firing his first shot. Vang claimed race was a factor, alleging that during the verbal dispute, some of the local hunters yelled out racial slurs at him such as "chinkChink
Chink, chinki, chinky or chinkie is a pejorative term referring mainly to a person of Chinese ethnicity but sometimes generalized to refer to any person of East Asian descent...
" and "gook
Gook
Gook is a derogatory term for East Asians which came to prominence in reference to enemy soldiers. U.S. Marines serving in the Philippines in the early 20th century used the word to refer to Filipinos. The term continued to be used by American soldiers stationed around the world to refer to...
". On the stand Hesebeck admitted Robert Crotteau had called Vang a 'Hmong a--hole.' Hesebeck also admitted that he told law enforcement that Robert Crotteau had had problems with trespassers in the past, specifically citing Hmong hunters, who often travel to Wisconsin from Minnesota to hunt. The term "Mud Duck" is often used in Western Wisconsin to refer to Minnesota residents, similar to "Cheesehead" being used to describe Wisconsin residents. Willers used this term to describe Chai Vang when he radioed back to the cabin. The term has no racial connotation, although the defense claimed it did. It is unknown how Willers and the others knew that Vang was from Minnesota.
The criminal complaint states that Vang shot four of the victims in the back, and Vang himself admits he shot one victim in the back. He also shot many of the victims multiple times. The prosecution made use of these facts in arguing against the claim of self-defense.
Trial
The trial of Chai Soua Vang began Saturday, September 10, 2005 in Sawyer County Courthouse. Fourteen jurors (ten women and four men) were selected from Dane County, WisconsinDane County, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families residing in the county. The population density was 355 people per square mile . There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
, and bused about 280 miles (450.6 km) northwest to Sawyer County, where they were sequestered.
Vang told the jury he feared for his life and began firing only after another hunter's shot nearly hit him. He detailed for jurors how the other hunters approached him, and how he responded by shooting at each one. He says he shot two of the victims in the back because they were "disrespectful". He recounted with clarity how he killed each victim. While saying on the stand, "(he wished) it wasn't happening," Chai Soua Vang contended that three of the hunters deserved to die:
"Did Mr. Crotteau deserve to die?" Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager asked.
"Yes," Chai Soua Vang replied.
Vang further testified that Joseph Crotteau deserved to die "because he accused me of giving him the finger and tried to cut in front of me to stop me from leaving." And Laski deserved to die because he had a gun, he said., Vang re-enacted his deeds while on the stand, using his hands and arms to imitate the motions of firing a rifle. Vang's lawyers commented that some of his abnormal remarks were possibly due to the language barrier. Therefore, when Vang responded affirmatively to the question that Mr. Crotteau and Mr. Laski "deserved to die," his meaning implied that the men contributed to the circumstances that led to their deaths.
Conviction
On September 16, 2005, Chai Soua Vang was found guilty of all six charges of first degree intentional homicide and two charges of attempted homicide by a jury of eight women and four men. On November 8, 2005, he was sentenced to six consecutive life terms plus seventy years (forty for two counts of attempted homicide plus five additional years for each count of homicide in the first degree). At the time, WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
was one of 12 states in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that did not have the death penalty.
Reaction
The shooting and subsequent trial attracted nationwide attention. It has been reported that some Hmong people, like some other Americans, do not fully understand American law regarding hunting. In their homeland, the Hmong had a different hunting culture, and most lands were government-owned and therefore open to subsistence hunting, as in other third world countries. Regional officials in Wisconsin and Minnesota have focused on educating Hmong hunters on private property rights to diminish the risk of future conflicts.The greater Hmong community has suffered from negative reactions from the news and media. Directly after the shootings, bumper stickers with the lettering of "Save a deer, Shoot a Hmong" appeared in the midwest furthering racial tensions. Simultaneously, caucasians have taken upon themselves to "educate" the Hmong population on hunting and firearms regulations. Community forums were held to address racial tensions; however, these meetings ultimately failed to address the concerns of the Hmong community and became "American hunting and firearms" workshops.
Vang's military experience
- Six years in the California National Guard, 1989–1995
- Sharpshooter qualification badge (mid-level, above "MarksmanMarksmanA marksman is a person who is skilled in precision, or a sharpshooter shooting, using projectile weapons, such as with a rifle but most commonly with a sniper rifle, to shoot at long range targets...
") - Good Conduct medal
External links
Sources
- Ashley H. Grant (November 24, 2004). "Shooting suspect had Army sharpshooting badge," Duluth News Tribune/Associated Press. Accessed November 27, 2004.
- "Victims in the Shootings That Killed Six Deer Hunters," Duluth News Tribune/Associated Press. Posted on Sep. 04,2005.
- Kevin Harter "Vang Tells His Story," Pioneer Press, (September 16, 2005).
- "Hmong Hunters Are Up For a New Season," Asian Week, (November 11, 2005).