Village Headman Fatally Shot After Being Mistaken for a Wild Chicken in Chiang Mai

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture of reenactment.

 

A case of mistaken identity led to the fatal shooting of a village headman in a remote area of Mae Chaem district, Chiang Mai, after a local farmer mistook him for a wild chicken. The suspect, who immediately turned himself in, insists the shooting was accidental.

 

Police from Mae Chaem Station, along with district chief Mr. Surawut Channam and a medical examiner from Theprattana Vajjanukul Hospital, responded on 4 February, to the incident in Ban Pok, Moo 4, Ban Thap subdistrict. The remote location, deep in the forest, required a three-hour journey on foot to reach the scene.

 

Upon arrival, officers discovered the body of Mr. Somsak, 42, the village headman, lying face down approximately 200 metres from a makeshift shelter. He had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the back of the head from a homemade shotgun.

 

The suspect, Mr. Weerapon, 35, was waiting to surrender at the scene. During questioning, he stated that he had gone to guard his farm the previous night, which bordered the village headman’s onion field. Meanwhile, the village headman had also been staying in the area to monitor his crops and watch for potential wildfires.

 

At dawn, both men reportedly heard the sound of a chicken. The headman crouched down to investigate, while Mr. Weerapon, believing he had spotted a wild chicken or a civet, fired his shotgun. When he rushed forward and realised he had shot the village headman, he was overcome with shock.

 

Regaining composure, he climbed a nearby hill to find a mobile signal and called his family, instructing them to notify the police. He waited at the scene until officers arrived, stressing that he had no intention of harming the village headman.

 

Following his confession, police escorted Mr. Weerapon to the site for a crime scene reenactment before taking him into custody. He has been charged with causing death by negligence. The body of the village headman was transported to Theprattana Vajjanukul Hospital for an autopsy before being released to his family.

 

-- 2025-02-05

 

 

[scottiejohn]

R.I.P.

But I still can't help wondering;

 

Will this be treated as a case of "fowl play"?

[watchcat]

25 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

A case of mistaken identity led to the fatal shooting of a village headman in a remote area of Mae Chaem district, Chiang Mai, after a local farmer mistook him for a wild chicken.

 

This must be a joke?

[smedly]

13 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

R.I.P.

But I still can't help wondering;

 

Will this be treated as a case of "fowl play"?

 

I honestly was so dumbfounded at this story I couldn't think of anything to say, was he wearing a chicken outfit ?, sounds like a roll play gone wrong, hens teeth weird 

[smedly]

7 minutes ago, watchcat said:

 

This must be a joke?

 

 

yeah it's like a april thing but it's only feb

 

mistook him for a chicken, must have been a convincing outfit - the mind boggles 

 

TIT

 

next time I shoot someone just say "I thought is was a chicken"

 

whaaaaaat ?

[PJ71]

Comedy gold.

[Captain Flack]

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[Briggsy]

On 2/5/2025 at 6:15 AM, watchcat said:

This must be a joke?

Sadly not, each year people are shot in France by hunters thinking they were wild boar. And no, they weren't wearing pig outfits. 😟