Shooting spree claims sixth hunter in Wisconsin

HAYWARD, Wis. — Even before the deadly shooting rampage began, one of the hunters had taken note of the license number on the back of Chai Vang's blaze-orange jacket, a detail he scribbled on some dust that covered one of their all-terrain vehicles.

Although the hunters planned to use it as part of a trespassing complaint, the number ultimately helped authorities identify Vang, 36, of St. Paul, Minn., as the suspect in a shooting spree Sunday afternoon in Wisconsin's north woods.

On the opening weekend of the deer season, the shootings left six hunters dead — five died Sunday and a sixth was pronounced dead yesterday.

The incident also raised fears of increased culture clashes between Hmong and other hunters, tensions that have simmered in Wisconsin and Minnesota for years.

Authorities said yesterday that Vang, a member of the Hmong community who received military training in his homeland of Laos, fired about 20 rounds at the hunters from his semiautomatic SKS military-style rifle.

Vang, who had not been charged yesterday, is to appear before a judge today for a probable-cause hearing.

The six killed were part of a group of more than a dozen hunters staying in lodges on wooded property near the town of Meteor in northwest Wisconsin the opening weekend of Wisconsin's deer season.

On Sunday afternoon, two or three men from the group spotted a man in their hunting platform atop a tree.

Vang, who was apparently lost and separated from his own hunting party, had wandered onto a 400-acre tract of private land. While the land is clearly marked as private, it is surrounded by public land.

After the hunters told Vang to leave, he descended from the tree. Authorities said he walked about 40 yards away, removed his rifle's scope and began firing.

Sawyer County Sheriff James Meier said shots were exchanged between Vang and the other hunters. But it remains unclear whether Vang had been provoked.

The victims were from the Rice Lake, Wis., area. Authorities identified the dead as Robert Crotteau, 42, and his son, Joey, 20; Al Laski, 43; Mark Roidt, 28; and Jessica Willers, 27.

A sixth victim died yesterday but authorities had not released a name. Two additional hunters, including Jessica Willers' father, Terry Willers, remained hospitalized yesterday.

Authorities described Vang, who asked a pair of hunters for a ride out of the woods after the alleged shooting, as "extremely calm" when he was arrested roughly five hours after the shootings.

Radio stations in the Twin Cities crackled with callers yesterday who suggested the shootings might stem from cultural differences among Hmong and white hunters.

There are roughly 74,000 Hmong residents in Wisconsin and Minnesota, according to the 2000 census. The two states have been key destinations for the Hmong since the mid-1970s, when churches and social organizations sponsored them after they fled their homeland of Laos. The Hmong assisted the United States during the Vietnam War era and were persecuted for their actions. Hmong hunters routinely report harassment at the hands of other hunters. Some of their white counterparts complain that the former refugees sometimes fail to comply with hunting regulations.

Mike Bartz, a regional warden for the Wisconsin Department of Resources, downplayed cultural differences in the shooting.

"I'm sure there are some tensions there, just like there are between any two groups," he said. "But this is an individual act."