The outcome is inevitable
You know, the complaint tells a subtly different story than has been presented up until now. Given the gossipy nature of the news media, that's probably legitimate. And I'll likely watch this one but the verdict is a forgone conclusion.
One of the survivors has said yes, they used profanity but did not threaten Vang. I can't say, of course, but there's doubt in the very phrasing of this statement…for good reason, I think.
Vang was an experienced hunter. A marksman and veteran that earned his U.S. visa by rescuing downed U.S. pilots in Viet Nam. This is not a coward that is likely to panic.
And the first story I heard had Vang claiming he was shot at as he was leaving, that the shot hit the dirt near him. And I totally believe it possible a shot was fired with no intent of hitting him. Sort of a "Scoot, varmint" sentiment. I mean, we did it as kids…you get in a fight and people holler and throw rocks as the loser slinks away.
One guy facing eight or so hunters in the woods of Wisconsin is a different thing than a bunch of kids on a city block. Well, it used to be…
Maybe it's a delayed reaction from Agent Orange and Vang is mad. But if one guy shot at him, he was entitled to retaliate. And being in a hunting party he had to assume they had weapons in the ATV, at which point he would have had to judge his ability to outrun them and their vehicle. I don't know what the terrain was like but if it is as Vang says I think I would have chased and shot them all myself.
But you can't have six upstanding members of the community killed by a guy who isn't even a citizen, and nothing happens.
Remember, we've learned from the election, humans are not rational actors.
Hmong Hunter Charged in Wisconsin Slayings
Mon Nov 29, 2004 07:51 PM ET
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - A Laotian immigrant accused of shooting several hunters in Wisconsin was charged with six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder on Monday, authorities said.
Defendant Chai Soua Vang was scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Tuesday.
According to the criminal complaint filed with the Sawyer County Circuit Court by the Wisconsin attorney general's office, the incident began after Vang got lost and wandered onto private land in Wisconsin's North Woods on Nov. 21.
He climbed into a tree stand used to hunt deer and was told to leave by a passing hunter, who used a walkie-talkie to contact his friends.
Vang, an experienced hunter and a former marksman in the U.S. Army, told investigators he believed some of his victims were going for their guns, so he chased them down and shot them, the complaint said.
Vang initially told investigators that the hunter he saw took Vang's rifle and shot the others, according to the complaint.
Later, Vang changed his story and said the hunters hurled racial insults at him, the complaint said. He also told investigators he was shot at first as he walked away, but the shot missed as Vang crouched down.
According to the complaint, Vang shot back at the armed man and the others ran toward their all-terrain vehicles, which Vang believed carried gun racks or cases containing weapons.
