Funeral For First Of Six Hunters Killed Held Friday
POSTED: 10:24 am EST November 26,
2004
UPDATED: 5:38 pm EST November 26,
2004
RICE LAKE, Wis. -- The first of six hunters shot to death in Wisconsin has been buried. About 200 people mourned 28-year-old Mark Roidt Friday, at the first of the funerals to be held in tiny Rice Lake, Wis.The funeral was closed to reporters, but friends said the victim's mother told mourners that her son died doing something that he loved.Many in the area consider the deer hunting season a holiday. Friends described Roidt as an outgoing man who loved hunting, motorcycling and other motor sports and was a jack-of-all-trades in carpentry and construction work. Many wore orange ribbons on their coats, and some mourners drove for hours to attend the service. Roidt was one of six hunters killed and two wounded after a confrontation last Sunday with a hunter who was trespassing on private land.According to court records, the accused killer, Chai Vang, told authorities the others surrounded him and used racial slurs before one fired a shot at him. One of the survivors gave a different account, saying Vang started shooting first.Vang, 36, of St. Paul, Minn., is being held on $2.5 million bail.Also killed in Sunday's attack were Robert Crotteau, 42; his son, Joey Crotteau, 20; Al Laski, 43 and Jessica Willers, 27. Denny Drew, 55, died at a Wisconsin hospital late Monday night. Funeral services for three of the victims will be held Saturday.The final two will be buried on Monday.
Previous Stories:
- November 23, 2004: Suspect In 6 Hunters' Deaths Says They Called Him Racist Names
- November 23, 2004: Relatives Of Suspect In Hunting Rampage Express Shock
- November 22, 2004: Official Says Slaying Of 5 Hunters 'Absolutely Nuts'
- November 21, 2004: 5 Dead, 3 Injured In Hunter Rampage
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