Chai Soua Vang Trial Documents

Chai Soua Vang (1968-) is a Hmong refugee who migrated to the United States in 1980. On November 21, 2004, while deer hunting in Wisconsin, Vang was confronted by Terry Willers and other white hunters for trespassing on private land. Details of the incident are heavily disputed based on conflicting witness testimony – Vang claiming to have been acting in self-defense against a racist mob, and surviving hunters claiming they were attacked first. The altercation took a violent turn as Vang fired his rifle upon the hunters, killing six, and injuring two. Vang was arrested and jailed, awaiting trial.

Following the killings, Asian Americans criticized the media coverage of the incident as being riddled with anti-Asian biases. Hmong families across the region also claimed that the media portrayal of the case increased racial tensions and violence directed toward their communities. Anti-Hmong bumper stickers such as, “Save a deer, Kill a Hmong” and, “Save a hunter, Shoot a Mung [sic]” began to circulate in the region. In response to the increased violence being directed toward Hmong communities, the A/P/A Institute at NYU invited Senator Mee Moua, Ka Vang, Dr. Patrick Clarkin, and Dr. Frank Wu, to speak at a forum entitled, “A Deeper Look at the Hmong Hunter Incident” on February 18, 2005.

Vang’s trial began on September 10, 2005. On November 8, 2005, he was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, three charges of attempted homicide, and sentenced to serve six consecutive life terms plus seventy years in prison.

The A/P/A Institute at NYU’s Chai Soua Vang Trial Collection contains: court transcripts, a racial bias report conducted by the Coalition for Community Relations (CCR), a DVD recording of the A/P/A Institute’s “A Deeper Look at the Hmong Hunter Incident” event, and Court TV (now TruTV) DVDs containing media coverage of the Chai Soua Vang trial.

The Chai Soua Vang Trial collection is housed on site at the A/P/A Institute, located at 20 Cooper Square, third floor, New York, New York. If you would like to access or learn more about the collection, please fill out our Archives Inquiry Form.

Image: Photograph of materials from the Chai Soua Vang Trial Documents collection, ca. 2005; Chai Soua Vang Trial Documents; Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University.