Boy shot by drunken father

KOTA MARUDU: A four-year-old boy was accidentally shot by his drunken father with a home-made gun or bakakuk at Kampung Muhang here on Thursday.

Kota Marudu police chief Superintendent Izaan Abdullah said the boy was being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu and was in stable condition.

Izaan said the incident was believed to have happened around 3.30pm when the 40-year-old man, who is a farmer, accidentally fired a shot from his bakakuk, hitting the boy on his chest, shoulder and cheek.

“The man was under the influence of alcohol when the incident happened.

“The boy was immediately taken to the Kota Marudu Hospital by his mother before he was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu for further treatment,” he said yesterday.

Police detained the suspect at 9.30pm the same day but was unable to recover the home-made gun as the suspect claimed to have thrown it into a river, said Izaan.

“Police are still investigating the case, which will be framed under Section 326 of the Penal Code for voluntary causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon, and Section 8 of the Firearms Act 1960,” he said.