KOTA TINGGI: A 10-year-old boy was left injured after he was accidentally shot by his grandfather, who had mistaken him for a monkey.
The incident occurred at 9.10am at Kampung Batu 10, Kampung Mawai Baru, Mawai today.
The grandfather, 79, was doing his rounds at his orchard. He spotted a moving object and thinking it was a monkey, fired off a round in its direction from his pellet shotgun.
Kota Tinggi district police chief Superintendent Rahmat Othman said the man was stunned when he heard a child cry out in pain.
“The man rushed over and was shocked to see that he had inadvertently shot his own grandson,” he said.
The Year Four pupil was immediately rushed to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital.
The boy sustained injuries to the head and body, and also had three pellet wounds.
Rahmat said preliminary investigations showed that the weapon was a 32” double barrel shotgun. The man used the weapon to guard his orchard from wild animals.
“The man has been detained to assist investigations. His weapon has also been seized.