Hunter says he mistook friend for civet cat
SIBU: A 31-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly shot his friend dead during a hunting trip in Sungai Jelai Tatau in Bintulu on Saturday night.
Tatau OCPD, DSP Dennis Bunyam said on yesterday that in the 10.30pm incident on Saturday, the suspect had mistaken his friend, 30, for a civet cat and fired a shot which killed him.
The victim, Ricky Limbing, was from Rumah Das, Sungai Kelawit, Tatau.
According to Dennis, the duo had gone out hunting for wild animals in the forest.
“They had stopped at the river bank after boarding a longboat at their longhouse. After that, both of them went into two different directions to look for their preys,” he said.
The suspect, he said, went inland while Ricky was still on the boat which travelled down river.
“Our investigation revealed that the suspect thought that the victim was a civet cat and immediately fired his shotgun,” he said.
He was shocked to find that he had shot his friend and immediately rushed him to Tatau Clinic. However, the victim had succumbed to his serious injury.
The police arrested the suspect and also seized a shotgun and a shotgun shell under Section 302 of the Penal Code and Section 8 of the Firearms (increased penalties) Act 1971 for investigation.
