A man in his 50s mistaken for a wild boar by a hunter in his 60s while working in the field, fatally shot

Accident During Pest Animal Capture in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk
Similar Incident Also Occurred on the 8th in Hoengseong, Gangwon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A woman in her 50s who was working in a field late in the evening in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk, was shot and killed by a man in his 60s who was hunting.

The Yeongju Police Station in Gyeongbuk reported on the 14th, according to Yonhap News, that hunter A (67) has been booked and is under investigation on charges of involuntary manslaughter. A is accused of firing a shotgun at B (57, female), who was working in a soybean field in Jangsu-myeon, Yeongju City, around 8:30 p.m. the previous day. At the time of the accident, B was hit in the left chest area by the shotgun and collapsed. She was transported to the hospital by the 119 emergency medical team but ultimately died around 10:30 p.m., two hours later.

According to the police investigation, A fired the gun from a point about 30 meters away from the deceased B and reported the incident directly to 119, requesting the dispatch of an ambulance. It was reported that A had obtained permission from Yeongju City to capture harmful wildlife. A police official stated, "The suspect testified that he mistook the victim for a wild boar and fired the gun," adding, "We are investigating the detailed circumstances of the accident."

Meanwhile, accidents where hunters mistakenly identify people as wild boars and shoot them, causing injury or death, continue to occur. Around 11:10 p.m. on the 8th, in a mountain near the village hall in Buchang-ri, Gonggeun-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon, hunter C (59) shot fellow hunter D (57) in the face and other areas. At the time, they were engaged in harmful wildlife control activities, and C mistook D for a wild boar and fired the gun.

D, who was hit in the jaw and ear areas by multiple small pellets fired simultaneously from the shotgun, was transported from a nearby hospital to a university hospital in the Wonju area in a state of cardiac arrest. D later regained breathing but remained in critical condition. They belonged to the harmful wildlife damage prevention team during the harvest season and had responded to reports of wild boar damage to cornfields around Buchang-ri when the accident occurred. The police are investigating C on charges of injury by negligence.

When capturing nocturnal animals such as wild boars or water deer, firearms can be taken out from 5 p.m. until 9 a.m. the next day. Therefore, incidents of mistaking people for animals and shooting them often occur late at night or before sunrise when it is difficult to identify objects. In such cases, offenders are subject to punishment for injury or death by negligence.

At the end of last year, a hunter who mistakenly shot a person thinking they were a wild boar during harmful wildlife control activities was sentenced to imprisonment. On December 21 last year, the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 7 (Judge Min Han-gi) sentenced E (65), who was tried on charges of involuntary manslaughter, to 1 year and 6 months in prison. E was accused of firing a shotgun three times at fellow hunter F (51) in a village in Yangsan City, Gyeongnam, around 11 p.m. on July 20, 2022, mistaking F for the wild boar he was chasing. F, who was shot in the left chest and arm, eventually died. The court pointed out, "The defendant's breach of duty of care is serious," and explained the sentencing by stating, "The crime was committed in the process of capturing harmful wild animals, wild boars, and there are circumstances to consider in mitigation."