Tree Stand Killings Gunman Chai Vang Dies in Prison

The man convicted in one of the deadliest hunting-related crimes in U.S. history has died behind bars.

According to Wisconsin court records, Chai Vang, who was serving six consecutive life sentences for the 2004 “Tree Stand Killings,” has been pronounced dead.

WBAY first reported Vang’s death through online court records. The case shocked hunters across the country more than two decades ago.

In November 2004, Vang trespassed onto private property near Meteor in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, where a confrontation broke out with members of a hunting party. Prosecutors said Vang opened fire. He killed six hunters and wounded two others before fleeing the scene.

The massacre quickly became known as the “Tree Stand Killings.” One of the worst mass shootings ever to occur during a hunting trip.

Vang was convicted in 2005. He was sentenced to six life terms without the possibility of parole. Despite the convictions, Vang never backed away from his claim that he acted in self-defense.

In a recent interview with Milwaukee’s 620 WTMJ following Vang’s death, defense attorney Jonathan Smith said his former client remained steadfast in that belief until the end. Smith said the defense argued the jury needed to understand what Vang believed was happening in the woods at the time. Rather than judge the incident with the benefit of hindsight.

Smith also said Vang expressed remorse for the loss of life. But maintained he believed he had been shot at first. According to Smith, Vang’s legal team argued that uncertainty over who fired the first shot was central to the self-defense claim, although the jury ultimately rejected that argument.

The attorney acknowledged the case remained deeply divisive, touching on issues far beyond the shooting itself, including self-defense law, race, and hunting culture. He described it as one of the defining cases of his legal career.

With Vang’s death, the criminal case is officially over. But for many Wisconsin hunters and the families of the six men who were killed, the events of that November day remain one of the darkest chapters in modern hunting history.

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