SIBU: Police has reclassified an accidental case as death by negligence after a suspect admitted to having accidentally shot his friend during a hunting trip in Machan, Kanowit, on Feb 21.
The deceased, Patrick Nyanau, 30, from Rumah Manggie in Kanowit was initially thought to have accidentally shot and killed himself.
He had, at about 8pm on that day, went into the jungle with three friends to hunt.
Soon after a gunshot was heard and his three friends rushed him in a vehicle to Kanowit Hospital but he died later from a chest injury.
Kanowit OCPD Dep Supt Tega Bilong said the police conducted further investigations on the advice of a pathologist after a post-mortem was done on the body.
“We were told by the pathologist that from the injury suffered by the deceased, he was probably shot at from a distance of 10m,” he said.
Three suspects, aged 31,21, and 19 respectively, were subsequently arrested.
“One of them admitted firing a shot as he thought that an animal was moving about in the bushes,” he said.
Police seized a shotgun, a spent cartridge and a gun licence from the suspects.
“All three had Covid-19 swab tests and the results were negative,” he added.
The case is being investigated under Section 304A of the Penal Code for causing death by negligence.