Sheriff says Hmong hunter was murdered
MARINETTE, Wisconsin (AP) -- In a case that could further expose
racial tensions between white residents and Asian immigrants here, a
local sheriff said a Hmong man found dead in the woods Saturday was
murdered.
An "accidental meeting" between Cha Vang, 30, and another hunter,
James Nichols, 28, led to Vang's death, Marinette County Sheriff Jim
Kanikula said Monday.
Kanikula would not specify the cause of death.
"While there is much I would like to tell you, there is much I
cannot tell you," Kanikula said. Criminal charges will be filed this
week, and Nichols is the suspect, he added.
The death comes little more than a year after Hmong immigrant
Chai Soua Vang, 38, was sentenced to life in prison for killing six
and injuring two white hunters in 2004. He claimed one of them fired
a shot in his direction after they shouted racial epithets and
cursed at him.
Chai Soua Vang is serving multiple life terms. He is not related
to Cha Vang.
Kanikula said he did not know if the shooting was accidental or
if it was a hate crime.
Vang's body was found partially concealed in a wildlife area. His
wife has said he spoke little English and was unlikely to have
started an argument or provoked an attack.
Deputies arrested Nichols after he showed up at a medical center
with a single, non-life threatening gunshot wound. Kanikula said
Nichols was being held for a probation violation as a felon in
possession of a firearm.
