2 dead, 1 injured in separate hunting trips

Zaini (centre) at a press conference in Kota Kinabalu earlier today. — NSTP/Juwan Riduan

By Olivia Miwil - April 3, 2020 @ 5:47pm

KOTA KINABALU: Two men were shot dead and one injured while on a hunting trips despite the Movement Control Order (MCO).

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Zaini Jass arrested a man from Kota Belud and another five men from Keningau to assist in investigations.

On March 31, Kota Belud police received a call from the public that a man in his late 30s was shot dead while hunting at Kampung Rampaian Ulu Kota Belud.

“Based on information, the deceased had gone hunting with a partner at about 2pm. They went separate ways upon seeing the footprints of a deer.

“When the partner was at the top of the hill, he opened fire thinking that the deer was at the foothill,” Zaini said during a press conference here, but he instead shot his partner.

Three bullets were found on the victim's body, one on the left side of the neck and two on the chest, believed to have been shot from behind.

Police remanded the man from Kota Belud on April 1 for 7 days and confiscated a homemade rifle, also known as “bakakuk”, 13 live bullets, a machete and a handphone.

“The victim will be handed to Queen Elizabeth hospital for postmortem after Covid-19 confirmation test.”

In Keningau, seven people went into Trus Madi Forest Reserve on April 1 intending to survey reserve land for application and at the same time hunting for wild animals.

The group, local men aged between 30s and 60s, entered the forest at about 9am with four of them armed with “bakakuk”.

“One of them opened fire (upon assuming the presence of wild animals) but shot dead a man in his 30s and injured another in his 50s on his right thigh.

“The suspect informed the other four who were setting up camps and later came out to notify the police and seek help.

“The location, which is about 8 kilometres from the main road, takes about three hours of walking to reach,” he said, adding police were able to retrieve the body on April 2 at about 9pm.

The following day, police arrested the five men and seized the homemade rifles and 14 live bullets.

Those arrested will be investigated under Section 302 of Penal Code for murder.