Man killed by fellow hunter who mistook him for a wild boar

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A hunter in South Koreaaccidentally shot and killed another man while looking for a stray wild boar, police said.

The man, in his 40s, shot another man on the road in Yeoncheon county in Gyeonggi province at about 11.35pm on 6 October, they said.

Three hunters from Yeoncheon’s animal control team were out in the night on Sunday trying to look for a wild boar who had been sighted earlier in the area.

According to the local police, the unidentified hunter shot the other man in the dark, mistaking him for the animal – accidents termed as “mistaken for game” in hunting parlance.

The bullet, which struck the head of the man also in his 40s, critically injured him.He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

The victim was not carrying any firearm on him at the time and was responsible for installing a thermal imaging camera trap to detect the wild animal’s movement.

The shooter has been booked by police on charges of involuntary manslaughter due to professional negligence. Investigations are ongoing, police said.

Meanwhile, “mistaken for game” accidents are not uncommon across the world.

In March this year, at Bunnell in Florida, a hunter was accidentally shot in the head and torso while turkey hunting after being mistaken for a gobbler by another hunter who did not realise he was there.

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The victim, who was wearing camouflage instead of the recommended safety orange, survived the incident.

In 2006, the former vice president of the US, Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded 78-year-old millionaire attorney Harry Whittington during a weekend quail-hunting trip in Texas.

Mr Cheney accidentally hit Mr Whittington when he turned to shoot at a bird, mistaking him for the game.

In 2020, a hunter, Lucas Dudley, was shot and killed by another hunter, Rain Stately, who mistook him for a deer near the Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota.