On a crisp autumn day in the woods of Meteor, Wisconsin, the annual deer hunting season took a tragic and violent turn. It was November 21, 2004, when Denny Drew, a 55-year-old man, found himself in the midst of a sudden and horrific confrontation. He was part of a hunting party on private land when they encountered another hunter, Chai Soua Vang, who was trespassing in their deer stand. What began as a verbal dispute over the hunting spot escalated with shocking speed into a deadly rampage.
In the ensuing chaos, Vang opened fire on the group of local hunters. Denny Drew was among those shot, sustaining grievous wounds to his lower chest, pancreas, stomach, and small intestine. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital and undergoing surgery, the damage was too severe. He succumbed to his injuries the following day, becoming one of six people to lose their lives in the incident that would come to be known as the "Wisconsin deer hunter shooting." Two other hunters were wounded but survived the attack.
The lone gunman, Chai Soua Vang, a Hmong immigrant from St. Paul, Minnesota, was apprehended by authorities shortly after the shootings. He was charged with six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and multiple counts of attempted homicide. During his trial, Vang claimed he had acted in self-defense, alleging that the other hunters had shot at him first and used racial slurs. However, the prosecution painted a different picture, arguing that Vang's actions were deliberate and that he had shot several of his victims in the back as they fled.
Ultimately, a jury found Chai Soua Vang guilty on all counts, rejecting his self-defense claim. He was sentenced to six consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. The tragic event left the small community of Rice Lake and the wider hunting community in a state of shock and mourning for Denny Drew and the other victims whose lives were cut short on that violent day in the woods.
