Motive for Chippewa County homicides may never be known
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
RITCHIE GERMAN JR.
By LeAnn R. Ralph
LAKE HALLIE — The five people who died at two separate locations in Chippewa County Sunday, July 28, included three people from the gunman’s family, the gunman and one person from another family, and the motive for the murders may never be known.
Ritchie German Jr., age, 33, identified by authorities as the gunman, shot and killed his mother, 66-year-old Bridget German, his brother, Douglas German, age 32, and his nephew, eight-year-old Calvin Harris, Douglas German’s son, at their Town of Lafayette home before driving about 10 miles to Lake Hallie.
At the Lake Hallie home of Teng Vang, age 51, and Mai Chang Vang, 39, German used a shotgun at around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, July 28, to blast his way through the front door where he killed 24-year-old Laile Vang and wounded both of her parents before killing himself.
Teng Vang and Mai Chang Vang both suffered wounds to their arms from throwing them up in a defensive gesture and both ended up having their arms amputated, according to Chippewa County Sheriff James L. Kowalczyk during a news conference held July 29.
Laile Vang had reportedly received text messages of a sexual nature from German several days before the attack, but she evidently did not know him and had replied, “Who is this? I don’t know you.”
German had driven his brother’s car to the Vang residence, and when authorities went to German’s residence around 2:30 a.m. Monday, July 29, they discovered the bodies of German’s mother, brother and nephew.
Sheriff Kowalczyk reported that when Bridget German had not shown up for her job Saturday morning at a grocery store, someone from the grocery store had left a telephone message, and German had called back and said his mother would not be coming to work because she was in the hospital. That morning, several boys who were friends of Calvin Harris had stopped by the house to see if he could come out and play with them, but German told them Calvin was not home and that he was shopping with his grandmother.
Sheriff Kowalczyk said those were both “red flags” and that Bridget, Douglas and Calvin were probably already dead by then.
The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department has had limited contact with the German family over the years, and Sheriff Kowalczyk said at the news conference they had very little information about Ritchie German Jr. and asked anyone who knew him to contact the sheriff’s department.
The “why” of the tragedy may never be known, Sheriff Kowalczyk said, and noted there were similarities between this case and the Jayme Closs case in Barron County last fall.
In addition to blasting his way inside the residence, the car German had driven to the Vang home was left running and had handcuffs inside the car, the sheriff said.
According to news reports, the autopsy report indicates Bridget German was shot in the head five times and that Douglas German and Calvin Harris were each shot twice in the head.
The Chippewa County coroner said German used a revolver to kill his mother, brother and nephew and used a shotgun to kill Laile Vang and himself, according to news reports.
