PHITSANULOK: A villager died after being shot by mistake by a distant relative in the Chat Trakan Waterfall National Park in Chat Trakan district of this central northern province on Saturday night, police said.
Pol Col Wattanakorn Unart, the Chat Trakan police superintendent, said on Saturday night a villager, Dussadee Chanthakhun, 35, of Moo 3 villlage in tambon Lao Kohok of Loei's Na Haew district, was found shot to death at a pineapple plantation in the Chat Trakan Waterfall National Park, about five kilometres from Ban Lat Rua village.
A police team found the man had been hit by about shotgun bullets in his neck, shoulders and a cheek. The body was taken to Phra Phutthachinnarat Hospital for an autopsy.
At about 2.30am on Sunday, the police took Supakit Chanthakhun, 40, who lived in the same village, for questioning.
After a long interrogation session, Mr Supadit confessed it was he who fired the shots that killed Dussadee.
The investigation revealed that Dusadee had gone out into the forest with a friend to hunt wildfowl. While Dussadee was tying a chicken to a post to lure wildfowl, it suddenly crowed. On hearing the noise, Mr Supakit, who had also gone out hunting and happened to be in the area, mistook it for a wild bird and opened fire in that direction. The gunshot hit and killed Dussadee.
Mr Supakit is a distant relative of Dussadee.
After the incident, Mr Supakit hid his shotgun in a farm cottage about 4km away, and returned to his village.
He was charged with carelessness causing death and carrying a weapon without permission.