Willers had no way of knowing tragedy awaited. Someone in the party had written Vangs hunting license number on a muddy utility vehicle, which helped determine Vangs identity. in the Chai Soua Vang homicide trial in Hayward. Soua Vang Obituary With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Soua Vang of Banning, California, who passed away on February 8, 2023 at the age of 79. The news, analysis and community conversation found here is funded by donations from individuals. Gen. Peg Lautenschlager, who led the cross-examination of Vang. An examination of the trial transcript and journalistic coverage of the Vang case illustrates a need to establish a history of racial violence in . Chai Soua Vang shoots eight people on a hunting trip in Wisconsin in a contested dispute on hunting land Vang trespassed on. I was thinking this was it. I drew my gun, and gave him commands to put his hands up and listen to my instructions. Vang was convicted of killing Robert Crotteau, his son Joey Crotteau, Denny Drew, Allan Laski, Jessica Willers and Mark Roidt. "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.'". by Bob Kelleher, Minnesota Public Radio. Vang, who lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota at the time of the shootings, is imprisoned at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, as of 2006. I cant imagine what its like for them, I mean, trying to sit around the table for Thanksgiving and realize whos not there, said Sandy Phierson of Rice Lake. In Wisconsin and Minnesota a hunting license comes with a book that spells out regulations. He then shot three where they sat or crouched, chased down a father and adult son who fled, and ambushed a young nurse and her driver from behind as they rode . However, he don't know that his action would become a complication to. SIRIRATHASUKPang X. Sirirathasuk, age 76, of Upper Darby, passed away on December 22, 2020. Chai Soua Vang, a hunter and reported military sharpshooter from St. Paul, will die in prison for the murders. the Murderpedia project stay alive. Shots zipped past over Hesebecks head. "I know Bob had raised his voice at one point where I heard him say that tree stands didn't particularly grow out of the side of trees," Willers testified. Soua was born in Lao People's Democratic Republic. I next thought about moving and I couldn't move. 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. Friend Lauren Hesebeck would be struggling with a bullet wound in his left upper arm and shoulder, but surviving. body. 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. Vang said, You're not dead yet? and raised his rifle to shoot. [7] According to Terry Willers' testimony, "As Bob got back on the radio and asked me where he was at and I said, uh, he's heading south down on the food plot right now. 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. A deer hunter shot and killed six other deer hunters including a young woman. He pointed it again and fired once. In the Blue Hills east of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Chai Soua Vang -- caught trespassing on private property and occupying another hunter's tree stand -- became infuriated and exploded into a rampage after . MurderPM. Vang also disliked trespassing laws, believing all land should be open to hunting. Vang addressed the victims families in court Tuesday but did not apologize. the back twice. Vang said, You not dead yet? and raised his rifle to shoot. He sacrifice himself, so we all can learn. He then heard a slight metallic sound from Vangs rifle, and realized Vang was out of bullets. Assuming Hesebeck was dead, Vang raced after Bob Crotteau, whose blaze-orange coat made him easy to see. "(I) asked what happened, and Loren said, 'He opened up on us.' These crimes are not isolated acts, but a pattern of anti-social conduct, the judge said. Hayward, Wis. Terry Willers took the stand Monday, to give his version of events that left six dead and two wounded last fall. Among those killed were father and son Robert and Joey Crotteau and Willers' daughter Jessica Willers. Are you a very good marksman? Lautenschlager asked. [5][13], There have been conflicting reports about what may have led to the shootings. Judge Norman Yackel ordered Chai Soua Vang, 37, to serve six life prison terms, one after the other, guaranteeing he would never be freed from prison. Soua Yang, daughter of Yong Chue Yang and Chong Xyooj, passed away on August 23, 2022. Chai Vang unintentionally trespassed on private hunting land in northern Wisconsin. "I'm afraid that we will have missed the boat in not addressing this as a hate crime because there have been numerous incidents before the Chai Vang incident two years ago; and between then and now there've been many incidents, particularly in the Wisconsin northern woods," Xiong says. She was engaged. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. More specifically, of 160 mass shootings (defined as at least three victims) since 1999, only the Chai Vang case involved hunters. Vang pleaded self-defense, alleging that white hunters confronted him after unintentionally trespassing. The Murder of Shanda Sharer. Instead, witnesses said, Vang started walking away but turned and started firing, eventually emptying a 20-round clip from a Saiga rifle. Vang said before and after the trial that he had been disrespected and (that at least three of them) deserved to die, Bartz said. Wisconsin does not have a death penalty. If you know of an upcoming event for Soua Vang, please add one. 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. He cooperated. Why are we still having these debates? He is also a family shaman (txiv neeb) and was a hunting enthusiast.[2]. It also brought about a mental solidarity that life is more important than a deer, a disagreement, a misconception and a derogatory comment. Willers daughter, Jessica, 27, and friend Al Laski, 43, would lie dead down a trail alongside Laskis ATV. He had caught an ATV ride out of the area, which was swarming with law enforcement by then, but was taken into custody about 3 1/2 miles from the murder scene when Jeremy Peery, now a DNR conservation warden supervisor in Eau Claire, recognized the number. Chai Soua Vang (born September 24, 1968), more commonly known as Chai Vang, is an American of Hmong descent who was convicted of first degree intentional homicide, having pleaded self-defense after allegedly being fired upon. The statements of both Vang and Hesebeck state that Vang removed the scope from his rifle before firing his first shot. Assuming Hesebeck was dead, Vang raced after Bob Crotteau, whose blaze-orange coat made him easy to see. He would have easily been another person of color killed by a police officer. Vang, after reversing his blaze-orange jacket to its camo side, hid near a curve in the trail when he heard the ATV approaching. Prosecuted by Wisconsin's attorney general herself, Vang was sentenced to six consecutive life terms, guaranteeing that he would never be released from prison. A funeral service for Soua will be held Saturday, February 25, 2023 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at Weaver Mortuary, 1177 Beaumont Ave, Beaumont, California 92223. Vang is believed to have fired about 20 rounds from a Saiga rifle chambered in 7.6239mm, which was recovered by police. He is currently serving 6 consecutive life sentences. Six were killed and two were left wounded. He pulled the telescopic sight from his rifle because if I had the scope, I couldnt shoot close distance.. Other than Vang, Willers was the only other man there with a gun. He killed several people as they arrived on ATVs, with four of those killed shot in the back. Nichols admitted to killing Vang, insisting the killing was self-defense. Judge. As he was walking away, Vang said he heard Willers tell the other hunters about his trespassing. Drew and Hesebeck then read the numbers aloud as Willers drew them into the dust on the UTVs hood. After next ambushing and killing Laski and Jessica Willers on Laskis ATV, Vang returned to retrieve his scope and leave, thinking he had killed every witness. At military reservations only service members and retirees can hunt. Though he could point but not aim the rifle because of his wounded left arm, Hesebeck tried to shoot back. Five years ago, I spoke with family members of the victims, as well as one of the hunters wounded. [11], The events after the confrontation are disputed. He waited til they passed so he had an easy target, shot them in the back, and then finished them off.. Communist forces persecuted the Hmong after the war, forcing them to flee to Thailand as refugees. Cha Vang's death has reopened discussions about how to bridge the gap between Hmong and American cultures, particularly when it comes to hunting. Joey Crotteau, 20, would lie dead where Vang chased him down and shot him four times in the back; the last bullet striking his neck and head. Without question, it was the most horrific trial I covered in my 25-year career. 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. Vang reloaded, approached closer as Crotteau struggled forward, and shot him again. Willers was shot by Vang on Nov. 21. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help The Hmong immigrant was found guilty of murdering six deer hunters and wounding two others during a confrontation over trespassing, rejecting his claims he shot in self-defense after one hunter used racial slurs and another fired at him. Eight Wisconsin deer hunters were hunted down like prey by a stranger found trespassing on private hunting grounds near Meteor, Wisconsin. Vang's second marriage ended after he allegedly nearly choked his wife to death for gambling away $3,000. Further, most mass shootings involve premeditation. The shooting followed a racially charged trespassing confrontation.. Terry Willers was the first eyewitness to the shooting to testify. Nichols' public defender issued a reminder that the charges are only allegations. 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. He said he didn't see anyone physically assault Vang. Meanwhile, Willers called the cabin around 11:30 a.m. to say he had evicted the tree rat. The elder Crotteau replied that he wanted to make sure the trespasser got the message to never return. . "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." Xiong is convinced Cha Vang was killed because he was Hmong. Since getting his hunting license in 1990, he has regularly tracked game in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin. 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