The Chippewa County, Wis., Sheriff says that we might never know the motive in the shooting death of five people, but there are signs of a copycat of the Jayme Closs abduction.
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk shared the names of those killed and the name of the shooter: 33-year-old Ritchie German Jr.
The sheriff says German shot and killed his mother, 66-year-old Bridget, his brother 32-year-old Doug, and his nephew, 8-year-old Calvin on Sunday in Lafayette. He then drove to the home of 24-year-old Laile Vang, forcing his way in with a shotgun. He shot and wounded her parents, Teng and Mai Chang Vang, then fatally shot the woman. The couple is expected to survive their injuries.
Kowalczyk described the 33-year-old, as being a "loner," with no permanent address and with limited job experience, who may have been trying to imitate the double murder and kidnapping of Jayme Closs last year.
"What was his intentions?" he said. "Was his intention to take this young gal, similar to what happened in Barron County, and if so, where are his belongings? Again, we don't have a vehicle associated with him. What were his intentions in the event that he was going to kidnap her rather than kill her?"
The 13-year-old Closs escaped in January after 88 days in captivity in remote northern Wisconsin. Jake Patterson was sentenced to life in prison. Authorities also say German left his car running with items inside that suggested similarities to the Closs case.
Kowalczyk says German had texted Laile Vang inquiring about a personal relationship, but she texted back saying she didn't know him.
Ritchie German Sr., the gunman's father, told the Star Tribune he believes his son suffered from mental illness, possibly bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, but did not know a motive or how he got the weapon. He said they lived together from 2005 to 2014, during which time German Jr. mostly stayed in his bedroom and worked for one year at a Menards warehouse.
