KOTA KINABALU: A Form Two student died after being shot by a homemade shotgun, known as a bakakuk, while playing hide-and-seek with a friend in the yard of a house at a former police housing camp in Keningau.
The 14‑year‑old victim was said to have been playing with a friend when the latter accidentally fired the weapon from a distance of about three metres at about 8.15am on Sunday.
The victim sustained 14 gunshot pellet wounds on his body and was taken to Keningau Hospital by villagers.
Keningau OCPD Supt Yampil Anak Garai said the student was pronounced dead upon arrival at the emergency unit.
He said initial investigations showed that the victim’s friend, also 14, saw the victim holding the bakakuk in front of the house before asking for the weapon.
“While playing hide-and-seek, the victim hid under the house and his friend is believed to have accidentally pulled the trigger, firing a shot toward the victim and injuring him.
“The friend then sought help from passing villagers to send the victim to the hospital,” Supt Yampil said.
Initial medical examination found 14 gunshot pellets embedded within the victim’s body, including the right chest, right arm, knee and left side of the torso.
Supt Yampil said based on their investigations, the weapon was hidden by another teenage boy, aged 13, who is the suspect’s younger brother, while the owner of the bakakuk was their father, aged 70.
“All three family members have been detained to assist in the case,” he said, adding that the victim was a close friend of the suspect and often stayed overnight at the family’s house.
Supt Yampil added that police also seized the bakakuk, live ammunition, spent shells, the suspect’s clothing and two mobile phones to assist in the investigation.
