Hunting dispute

[cliff2302]

Have you guys heard about this yet? This is really messed up. Apparently, one hunter killed five hunters when they asked him to get off their land in Wisconsin. Here's the link for the full story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6551094/

[almac16]

Holy Cr*p!

That's just plain crazy.

I will think twice before kicking someone out of my treestand nexttime (my brother in law had to do it last weekend)

Those SKS's are crazy guns.... we had one for a while but sold it as they are illegal here in Canada.

[84250r]

That is terrible. My heart goes out to there families.

[trikerider2oo7]

people are stupid. what kind of idiot shoots someone for them asking them to get off their land? that guy should be shot back as punishment

[OldSchoolin86]

I'm sure that SKS got them all too quick but I would have shot him without thinking twice if I saw my buddies getting it(if I wasn't dead).

[Yamahauler]

thats sick. i dont how he could ever sleep at night

[OldSchoolin86]

It's six dead now. My heart goes out to the families.

[84honda 200X]

Its all over the school and town up here in northern minnesota. If it were me i would have blown him right out of the stand when the shooting starts. All so the SKS is a legal hunting rifle in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We got 2 of them and i used one one year. I hope they give him the death penalty or somethin bad. He had no right to do that to those people.

[Jeb]

How about the woman in Plano, TX who cut the arms off her 11 month old daughter and killed her yesterday??? She makes that guy look like a boy scout.

Made me physically sick. Since this is a local story the media is all talking about postpartum depression. I have absolutely no sympathy for the mother, if you can still call her that. I can't even imagine.

Both terrible tragedies.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,139326,00.html

[Maine_Triker]

How can someone do that? that is so terrible.

[TrikerR]

ohh thats terrible...how she just calmly told 911 that she had done it. that is just terriable.

[83200e]

In the end the gun will be blamed ,and we'll probably see another gun ban.

[Billy Golightly]

Jim (Firecat) from chat knew these people that were killed. What a sad state of affairs. The article on msnbc.com says that the shooter was apprehended once in the past for domestic disturbances in 2001. If the system had worked then, none of this would have happened now. What a crock of trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro. I feel so bad for the victims' families.

[Wickedfinger]

... that "murderer" - is now saying he was fired upon first by the hunters. I'm 99% sure they don't allow auto rifle deer hunting up there - but in any case I'm 100% sure they would only allow a 3 round mag load if they did - thats six dead now - do the math.

[Wickedfinger]

Great, now theres an ATV involved too - read this article ...........

Suspect Says Hunters Shot at Him First

15 minutes ago

By ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press Writer

HAYWARD, Wis. - A Hmong immigrant suspected of killing six fellow deer hunters in the Wisconsin woods told investigators that he opened fire after they took a shot at him first and hurled racial slurs at him, according to court papers filed Tuesday.

A judge set bail at $2.5 million for Chai Vang, 36, of St. Paul, Minn., who was jailed on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

The shootings occurred Sunday after Vang climbed into a tree stand on private property and got into a confrontation with the landowner and members of his hunting party.

On Monday, authorities gave an account in which they made no mention of any of the victims taking the first shot. Instead, they said that after the other hunters told the trespasser to get out of the tree, Vang walked off, then wheeled and opened fire.

Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, who is prosecuting the case, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Vang, an immigrant from Laos, was arrested about four hours after the shootings as he emerged from the woods with his empty semiautomatic rifle. Five people died in the woods; a sixth died Monday in a hospital. Two others were wounded.

Vang's account was included in court documents that were used to persuade a judge that there was probable cause to hold him on suspicion of murder.

According to Vang's story, he got lost while hunting on public land and ended up in the vacant tree stand _ a raised platform used by hunters to see deer and shoot down at them. Vang told investigators he did not realize he was on private property.

Landowner Terry Willers approached, asking why Vang was there and pointed out he was on private property. Vang said he told Willers he had not seen any "no trespassing" signs, climbed down from the stand and started to walk away.

Vang said he heard Willers call on a walkie-talkie, and five or six men on all-terrain vehicles approached a few moments later. Vang said the group surrounded him, and some used racial slurs.

He said that he was told to get off the property, and as he started walking away, he turned back and saw Willers point a gun at him from about 100 feet away. He told investigators he immediately dropped to a crouch, and Willers shot at him, the bullet hitting the ground 30 to 40 feet behind Vang.

Vang said he removed the scope from his rifle and began firing, continuing to shoot as the group scattered. He said one of the victims, Joey Crotteau, tried to run away, but Vang chased him, got within 20 feet and shot him in the back. Crotteau, 20, was killed. Willers was wounded and was listed in fair condition Tuesday.

Vang said as he began to run, an ATV with two people drove past and he fired three or four times, causing both people to fall off the machine. He said that he looked up the trail, saw that one of the men was standing, yelled, "You're not dead yet?" and fired one more shot in the man's direction. He said he did not know if he hit the man or not.

Vang said he then ran away.

Authorities have said there was only one gun among the eight hunters.

There have been previous clashes between Southeast Asian and white hunters in the region. Locals in the Birchwood area, about 120 miles northeast of the Twin Cities, have complained the Hmong do not understand the concept of private property and hunt wherever they want.

About 24,000 Hmong live in St. Paul, the highest concentration of any U.S. city. Vang's arrest made some Hmong citizens in his hometown fearful of a backlash. Hmong leaders condemned the shootings and offered condolences to victims' families.

"What happened in Wisconsin is in no way representative of the Hmong people and what they stand for," said Cha Vang, no relation to the suspect.

Sang Vang said his brother has lived in the United States for more than 20 years and is a U.S. Army veteran.

Chai Vang has no criminal record with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Police in St. Paul said there had been two domestic violence calls to his home in the past year, but both were resolved without incident.

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