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| 6/16/2005 | Email this article • Print this article | EXCERPTS FROM CHAI SOUA VANG’S LETTER TO CHICAGO TRIBUNE REPORTER
Sao Sue Jurewitsch
This is an excerpt of Chai Soua Vang’s letter to Chicago Tribune reporter Colleen Mastony, who approached Vang for an interview in March of 2005. She wrote him that she was working on a story that would “show the public who you are as a husband, father, a son and a brother.” In this letter, dated March 8th, Vang recalls the events that led to his alleged shooting of eight Wisconsin deer hunters, six of whom died. While much of what Vang wrote in this letter was also part of his statement to police, we feel it is important to give our readers a chance to hear from the accused in his own words. The two surviving victims have strongly denied Vang’s account of the incident. The following letter was originally handwritten by Vang. It is unedited, except for the deletion of language inappropriate to print.
…I continue to walk south west about ½ mile until I come to see a tree stand about 50 yards away to west where I standing. I’m facing south at this time. I sat there about one hrs, but didn’t see anybody and there’s no sign of private property anywhere or fences. So I thought that I’m still in public land, because in Minneosot, we can built tree stand in public land and if nobody there, you can climb to it and wait for deer. So I thought that maybe someone just built the tree stand in public land. That’s why I decided to walk to the tree stand and climb on to the stand for a while. I think it was between 11:00-12 pm.
I sat on the tree stand about 15 minutes than I saw a man with a Rifle coming from the East next to swamp on a ATV Trail about 125 yards south east of the tree stand. I saw him using a walkie talkie to someone, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. Then about five minutes later he continue to walk toward me. When he was about 10-15 yard away he ask me what group I belong to so I said my group where somewhere south of here. Then he told me I’m in private land and I shouldn’t be in somebody else tree stand. I told him that I’m sorry and didn’t know that this’s are private property, because I didn’t see any fence or sign post anywhere. I then climb down from the stand and walk south east toward public land where he was coming from. I also ask him where is the property line? He told me about 100 yards east here where he came from. When I start walk east I heard him call to someone, but can’t hear exactly what he’s saying.
I can hear people start ATV west about 1/2 miles away, but I continue to walk south east to the ATV trail where they come to stop in front of me about 3 feet away. One ATV is on my right and the other is slightly on my left. There were 3 men on the ATV and 1 on the other. The people on the ATV on right get out from the ATV and two of them come in front of me about 2 feets away. One is in his 40 and the other is in his 20. The one in his 40s where yelling at me “were you on my son tree stand?!! I said yes, I’m sorry I didn’t know that was your stand. Then he ask me again. Did you know you were on a 400 acres of private property dam gook? I said no. I didn’t see any sign post anywhere. He said I don’t care, I don’t have to put a sign on you [expletive] chink. He said, I want your [expletive] license. I said no, I don’t have to get you anything. He said I’m sick of your [expletive] Asian coming to my land. If you all keep coming to my land, I will kick your [expletive] Asian ass.
I start to walk to my left and start walking south. The young man on his 20’s walk in front me and tell me where the hell you think you’re going dam gook? And 2 others men on the others ATV get out of the ATV in front of me stand behind the young man. I hear they said something with Asian behind him. But I could[n’t] hear exactly because he was blocking me. I told him excuse me, I got to go so I go around him on his right to south. Than the man on his 40’s tell me to follow the ATV trail and [several illegible words] and never come back again and said matter of fact writing his [expletive]license tag on his back down. I will turn in to the DNR so that that will teach him a lesson. He than came behind me and flip my license tag. At this time the man that confront me come to the ATV so he start write my license # down. As I continue to walk another 20 feet I turn around and the 20’s yrs old man follow behind me to the back of the ATV and said to me that I saw you get me the finger. I said no I didn’t said anything.
I continue to walk another 10 feet. I turn around back and saw the first man that confront me walk in front of the ATV and pull his rifle off his shoulder to his hand and some of the group turn their ATV around face me while some still by the ATV look at me. I continue to walk another aprox 10 feet I look back and saw the man with the rifle that first confront me point his rifle to me so I drop down to a crouch and I hear a fire shot. Then I took off my rifle scope and fire two shot at him. He drop to his right side on the ground. The rest of the group scramble for some-thing at the ATV. So I shot them at the ATV and ran toward them, because I thought that they will get something or gun to shoot me. Some felt to the ground and two take off runing north. When I get to the ATV I shot several time too than chasing those two runing. One take of east on ATV trail. I shot twice he felt to the ground. The other run west north to the cabin yielding help me. I shot several time behind him and chase him near than shot one more. He felt to the ground so I hear someone call to other at the original scense. So I ran back and reload my magazine. When I got close to them another ATV coming and each of them have gun on their should. I duct into a prome position about 10 feet from ATV trail. They went by me and less than a minutes, they come back to the cabin.
I switch my orange coat to camaflag color and start run. Than another ATV coming past me and stop about 10 feet in front of me. HE than start take his rifle of from his left shoulder. So I shot several time. They felt to the ground. I ran back to the original scense and one one still sit on the ground next to the ATV. I said you’re not dead yet? And shot one time in his diretion. I saw he grab a gun and hide behind a small pile of dirt but I [several illegible words] body on ground still moving. I then started joging away south of the ATV trail. I look back several before ran into the wood. The last time I look back his just got off from the ground look at me so I ran into the wood. Later I throw my bullet into the swamp and later that day turn my self in to DNR. After ran into wood. I though to myself and said sorry to my wife and family that I have done something to defend my self and my race, but I’m will disappoint them, that I may or maybe able to be with them again. Right now I feel that and wish I wouldn’t going hunt at WI and go hunt at my property at north MN. I went to hunt in WI because I got a buck 9 pts during bow season. So I couldn’t shoot anymore so I decide to go to WI.
Contact Andreas Jurewitsch at ajisin2000@yahoo.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Article comment by:
Tim Johnson
Sounds like self defense to me.
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St. Paul, MN
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