Shooting victim ‘mistaken for a bird’ in jungle hunt
A 40-year-old hunter was arrested early on Sunday morning for shooting dead his 35-year-old relative, whom he said he mistook for a jungle fowl while hunting wildlife in a forest in Phitsanulok’s Chat Trakan district on Saturday night.
Following the discovery of Dusadee Chanthakhun’s body with a wound to his upper torso inflicted by a shotgun in a forest bordering a pineapple plantation five kilometres from Ban Lat Rua in Tambon Bor Pak, police apprehend his relative Supaikit Chanthakun at 2.30am.
After hours of interrogation, Supakit reportedly confessed to shooting Dusadee while he and another friend were hunting for jungle fowl.
Dusadee was hunting on his own at the same time when Supakit mistook him for a bird and opened fire in his direction, he said. Finding that he had shot the man dead, Supakit fled home and hid his shotgun but police still identified him and made the arrest.
Supakit later showed police where he had hid the weapon.
He was charged with manslaughter and possessing and carrying a gun and ammunition without permission.