Chai Soua Vang and the 2004 Wisconsin Hunting Murders
Overview
On November 21, 2004, during Wisconsin’s deer season near the town of Meteor in Sawyer County (east of Birchwood, north of Rice Lake), Chai Soua Vang—a 36-year-old hunter from Saint Paul, Minnesota—shot eight members of a hunting party after a confrontation over trespassing. Six people were killed and two were wounded. The case became one of the deadliest incidents in American hunting history.
The Confrontation (November 21, 2004)
Vang had climbed into a deer stand on private land co-owned/used by members of a large hunting group. After he was confronted and told to leave, he walked away and, within moments, turned and opened fire with a 7.62×39mm semi-automatic rifle, ultimately shooting eight individuals across multiple locations on the property and nearby trails. Two members of the party who responded to calls for help were also shot. Vang fled the property, reversed his blaze-orange jacket to its camouflage side, and eventually obtained a ride on an ATV before returning to his party’s cabin, where he was arrested later that day.
Victims (Names, Ages, Locations/Context)
- Robert “Bob” Crotteau, 42 — Rice Lake area hunter and land co-owner; shot and killed on the property during the initial gunfire as he attempted to respond to the confrontation.
- Joseph “Joey” Crotteau, 20 — Son of Robert Crotteau; fatally shot while fleeing along a trail as Vang pursued and fired multiple times.
- Alan (Allan) Laski, 43 — Lumber yard manager from the Rice Lake area; killed on the property after responding to calls for help.
- Mark Roidt, 28 — Member of the hunting party; shot and killed during the incident on the property.
- Jessica Willers, 27 — Daughter of landowner Terry Willers; fatally shot near an ATV track as she came to assist.
- Dennis “Denny” Drew, 55 — Car salesman from Rice Lake; shot in the abdomen and later died at the hospital.
- Survivor: Terry Willers, 47 — Landowner; wounded by gunfire (shoulder) and survived.
- Survivor: Lauren Hesebeck, 48 — Member of the hunting party; gravely wounded (neck) but survived.
...Read More
Account
