US deer hunters shot dead in row over tree stand

A DISPUTE among deer hunters over a tree stand in Wisconsin erupted into a series of shootings that left five people dead and three others injured.

Jake Hodgkinson, a deputy at the county jail, identified the suspected killer as Chai Vang but would give no additional details. Several news organisations in Minneapolis-St Paul reported the suspect was 36-years-old and from St Paul, Minnesota.

The incident happened when two hunters were returning to their rural cabin on private land in Sawyer County and saw the suspect in one of their tree stands, County Chief Deputy Tim Zeigle said. A confrontation and shooting followed.