Man in Malaysia fatally shoots own cousin after mistaking him for wild animal

MACHANG (Malaysia) — A 26-year-old man in Malaysia died after he was accidentally shot by his own cousin during a hunting expedition in Bukit Pelanduk, a village in the district of Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan on Friday (May 12).

The victim was mistaken for a wild animal when he was shot, based on checks by the Malaysian police.

Kelantan police chief Muhamad Zaki Harun said the incident happened at the Ulu Sat forest reserve at about 2am.

"In the report, the 39-year-old man claimed he accidentally shot his cousin with his shotgun. The incident happened in Bukit Pelanduk.

"He told the police that he thought the victim was a wild animal," he said in a statement.

The police were alerted to the incident at 9.50am and immediately deployed a team to the scene, where they found the body of a man lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Mr Zaki said the body was sent to the Machang Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

"Checks showed that the shooter did not have a criminal record. He is being held for further action and will be remanded soon," Mr Zaki added. NEW STRAITS TIMES