A young boy was injured after allegedly being hit by an air rifle pellet fired by his neighbour in Felda Seberang Tayor on Wednesday. The incident occurred around 3.45pm while the fourth-grade student was playing outside with his brother, when he suddenly complained of pain following a loud bang.
Kemaman District Police Chief, Superintendent Mohd Razi Rosli, said the child sustained an injury on his left lower shoulder. His father later found a silver metal pellet nearby and suspected it had been shot from the neighbour’s air rifle.
Following a report made at 5pm, police arrested a 58-year-old local man who works as a plantation labourer. Officers also recovered two homemade air rifles measuring 123cm and 107cm, along with nine metal pellets.
“Preliminary investigations revealed the suspect admitted to firing a volley toward the boy’s house, which is about 40 metres away from his own. He claimed he did not intend to hit anyone,” Mohd Razi said. The suspect disclosed that one rifle was purchased online last year, while the other was homemade for bird hunting.
Further checks revealed the man tested positive for morphine. The child was taken to Kemaman Hospital for treatment, while the suspect has been remanded for four days to assist in the investigation. He has a criminal record with 10 past offences involving drugs and other crimes.
The case is being investigated under Section 8 of the Arms Act 1960 and Section 324 of the Penal Code.
