Not a simple hunter's tale
Published November 23, 2004
Vang said he started walking away but looked back to see the first hunter point his rifle at him and then fire a shot that hit the ground 30 to 40 feet behind him, the statement said.
That's when Vang told investigators he started firing at the group, and some fell to the ground and others tried to run away, according to the statement.
Vang is said to have killed five people at the scene. Another died in the hospital. Two survived their wounds. Friends of the deceased and authorities portray the gunman as aggressive, pursuing and slaying unarmed men and a woman. They say only one weapon was on hand for the eight victims, and it may not have been fired.
The St. Paul area has had tensions between its predominantly white population and immigrant Hmong for years. Conflicts have involved unusual courtship rites, hunting and trespassing.
Chai Vang, a veteran of the U.S. armed forces, has a history of domestic violence. He waved a gun in one incident.
It is premature to speculate about how this episode will go down in history. The number of casualties guarantee it some notoriety. Will it be man versus society or man versus himself? A sane man or one damaged by mental illness? Were the victims the innocents Wisconcin authorities describe them as, or did they harass and fire at Vang because of his race?
Holidays give us more free time to ponder the things we read about or see on the news. As the crime of the week, the killings in Wisconsin will be one of the topics many of us will give at least some thought to. Initially, I thought it would be a simple tale of a hunter gone awry. It isn't.
What's the art?
A Simonov 7.62 mm Carbine (SKS).
Note: This entry also appeared at Mac-a-ro-nies.
- Not a simple hunter's tale
- Published: November 23, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Culture
- Writer: Mac Diva
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Comments on this articleComments
It was a very tragic day in Wisconsin. Of course, Vang contends he was provoked into shootin 8 people. There are two surviors that tell a different story. Vang claims to be fire upon. Others claim that Vang did all of the firing. Here are some of the facts. Vang was on private property and in somebody else's deer blind. As he was walking away he took his scope off of his rifle (scopes aren't effective at close range). He emptied his rifle and then reloaded. He shot one man as he lay wounded on the ground. He shot a 21 yr old in the back.
Something snapped in Vang's mind and it is a tragedy and not some sort of celebration like the blogger b4 me said.
Peter
Oh, Scoota likes be 'ironic,' Peter.
It is not looking good for Vang. If there was provocation, he might be able to use a diminished capacity defense. But, as you say, removing the scope while running and under fire seems very unlikely. The best evidence for him would be some proof he was fired on first.
I am kind of surprised the trespassing issue is still not resolved in regard to the Hmong in the St. Paul area. I would have expected people from some legal organization -- the fraternities, National Lawyers Guild, good-hearted DAs -- to have taken on an educational role in the Hmong community.
Ms Diva,
I am no lawyer so please forgive me if this question does not make sense to you.
Even if Mr Vang is able to prove that he was fired upon first how in God's name can anyone over look the fact that he shot and killed six people (and attempted to kill two more). Some of the victims were shot in the back. Most of them were unarmed. Even if somebody did call him a name he over reacted and took the lives of ordinary people.
I understand he has obtained three lawyers to defend him. Perhaps you could tell us a bit more about these gents, given your talent for research.
Lastly, I do not understand when people say that cultural differences might have played a part in all of this. It seems to me to be a case of someone taking matters into his own hands.
Peter, So you do not continue to waste
your time,Mac Diva has moved away from
the neighborhood and it did not leave a
forwarding address.
Thanks for the info. I am sorry to learn of her re-location. While she could be caustic, she was also very informative. I will miss (some of) her comments. The discussion concerning her lips drove me wild.
Hasta la vista baby!!!
I hope Ms Diva (where ever she is) won't mind if I 'take over' her blog....
When first arrested, Chai Vang told authorities the one member of the hunting party took Mr Vang's gun and began shooting his own hunting party. Mr Vang also claimed that he was marched around the 'killing field' at gun point. After authorities pointed out that the facts of the case did not support Vang's version of the truth, namely that the first injured hunter radio-ed back for help, Mr Vang changed his story. Now he claims he was fired upon and was simply defending himself. Something smells!?!
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this guy is a cold blooded murderer. People go to jail for defending their homes with guns, certainly verbal insults do not constitute "fear for one's life". I'll wait for the trial for the official guilty, but i wouldn't take any bets on his innocence.
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Hey, I'm glad that those people were shot and killed if that racial slur / hate-crime allegation is true.
(Instead of glad, I should say "not sympathetic")