Shooting suspect had marital, money problems
ROTHSCHILD - Nengmy Vang was in the midst of a long and bitter divorce with his wife. Mediation had failed. Despite a marriage of more than two decades, Vang had sought a paternity test on their youngest child. And there were persistent money problems, which arose again Tuesday, when action was taken to garnish the couple’s wages.
The next day, four people were gunned down in metropolitan Wausau, including a detective, a lawyer who represented Vang’s wife in the divorce case and two employees of Marathon Savings Bank, where his wife worked.
Police have yet to publicly name a suspect, but multiple people with knowledge of what happened confirmed to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Vang's role in the killings.
Officials have said the shootings started as a “domestic incident” in which a husband had targeted his wife, who escaped unharmed.
VIDEO: "She's claiming that her husband's trying to kill her"
RELATED: Nengmy Vang, 45, ID'd as suspect in shooting spree
Recently obtained court records offer some insight into Vang’s life.
Vang, 45, of Weston, filed for divorce in 2015 and called the marriage "irretrievably broken” in a court filing obtained by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
A judge allowed the wife and their minor children to remain at the family home in Weston during the divorce proceedings, while Vang found housing elsewhere, most recently at the Aspen Street Apartments in Weston. Vang was allowed to take with him various personal items, including four guns, court records show.
The couple has at least six children, two of whom are minors. Vang sought and obtained a court order for a paternity test on a seventh child; court records do not reveal the status or any results of that testing.
Vang’s wife was seeking sole legal custody of the minor children with primary physical placement.
Court records list the divorce case as contested, which suggests Vang and his wife could not agree on terms. A mediator determined the couple had reached an impasse and would not likely find mutual ground.
Vang had been having financial problems for years, court records show. He has been sued four times since 2009 for unpaid credit card balances totaling nearly $28,000. Vang later paid at least $22,000 of what was owed, court records show.
Vang and his wife were also sued last year by a credit union seeking more than $9,000 that remained unpaid of a $13,000 loan. Garnishment notices related to that case were filed in Marathon County Circuit Court on Tuesday, the day before the shootings.
Vang worked at Marathon Cheese and previously held jobs at Kolbe and Kolbe Millwork and Foot Locker, records show. Vang's wife has worked at Marathon Savings Bank since the late 1990s.
VIDEO: Procession for fallen Everest Metro Police Detective Jason Weiland
RELATED: Slain officer 'was a part of our family'
No one answered the door Thursday afternoon at the Weston home where Vang’s wife and minor children reside. A lawyer for Vang did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
The state Department of Justice has identified the four shooting victims as Everest Metro Police Detective Jason Weiland, 40; Marathon Savings Bank employees Dianne M. Look, 67, and Karen L. Barclay, 62; and attorney Sara H. Quirt Sann, 43.
Investigators have not yet had a chance to interview Vang about why he shot the victims because Vang himself was shot by police in a Wednesday stand-off; he requires “intense medical care” and is being treated at an undisclosed hospital, a Department of Justice official said.
Vang’s Weston apartment building was damaged during the stand-off. according to Weston Building Inspector Scott Tatro. Crews on Friday were making repairs to the building, Tatro said.
Jonathan Anderson: 715-898-7010 or jonathan.anderson@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @jonathanderson.
