HAYWARD, Wisconsin, Nov 23 (AFP) - The Laotian-born deer hunter accused of killing six members of a hunting party during a rampage in woodland in northwest Wisconsin at the weekend, has told US authorities that he was fired on first, according to court papers released Tuesday.
Chai Vang told investigators that members of the party verbally abused him, calling him "chink" and "gook," and that one man fired on him as he was preparing to leave the private estate that was the scene of Sunday's deadly shooting spree.
The bullet hit the ground about 30 feet from him, and it was at that point that Vang dropped to his knees and opened fire, felling the man, according to court documents filed in circuit court here Tuesday.
But, according to those same papers, Vang admitted that he then opened fire on the rest of the party, some of whom were unarmed, and even chased one victim through the woods, before shooting him at close range.
His account, which differs in at least one critical respect from the version of events given by survivors of the rampage, emerged in court papers filed Tuesday as part of a probable cause hearing.
The hearing concluded with Judge Norman Yackel ruling that there was probable cause to hold the 36-year-old in connection with the murders. Yackel set Vang's bail at 2.5 million dollars, and a court hearing for December 20.
The Laotian-born US citizen was arrested without incident late Sunday by a game warden who identified him from his hunter identification tags as he emerged from the woods.
According to news reports, the father-of-six, a member of the large Hmong community in St. Paul, Minnesota, was a hunting enthusiast who had spent time in Wisconsin before.
Born in Laos, he is a naturalised US citizen who speaks good English and had served in the US military at one time.
Five members of the hunting party, including Robert Crotteau and his 20-year-old son, Joey, died Sunday. A sixth man died in hospital Sunday.
Two other men were injured, including Terry Willers, whose daughter Jessica, 27, was among the casualties.
11/23/2004 21:25 GMT - AFP