Former soldier shot dead in hunting accident

PASIR PUTEH (Bernama): A former soldier died after he was accidentally shot by his hunting partner who mistook him for a wild animal in Kampung Gong Genor here Saturday (Feb 29).

The victim, Mohd Sazuki Mohd Safafi'i, 48, died after a shotgun blast hit him in the chest in the 7.30pm incident.

Kelantan deputy police chief SAC Abdullah Muhammad Piah said the victim and his 69-year-old friend were hunting for wild boar.

"The victim was scouting the area for potential game.

"However, his friend saw some movement in the bushes. Thinking it was a wild animal, he fired his gun at the victim," he said.

Abdullah said preliminary investigations found the victim, who lives in Kampung Gong Champa, went out with his friends at around 2pm to hunt.

He said the shooter has been remanded for three days for preliminary investigations under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

"Police received a report of the incident at about 7.50pm when a friend called the police to inform them of the incident.

"Initial investigations show that the victim is was hit in his right chest, leading to his death," he said.

Abdullah the public is advised to be more cautious when using firearms, especially when hunting, to prevent unwanted incidents from happening. – Bernama