Chinese man dies after being shot by hunter who mistook him for hare

Authorities said four men have been arrested in Shaxi Town, Jiangxi province

A Chinese man has been shot dead after he was allegedly mistaken for a hare, authorities said.

The man has been identified as Wang Moujin, who drowned in a ditch after being shot in the head with an air gun, reported BBC.

Typically used for target shooting, air guns use compressed air.

Chinese hares, which are native to provinces like Jiangxi, are a common food source.

Police said that the incident took place last Friday evening when four men who have now been arrested went hunting in Shaxi Town, Jiangxi province, the BBC report said.

Xinzhou district police said one of the men had opened fire after seeing movement in the grass beside the ditch, where Mr Wang was reported to have been fishing.

Officials were later called to the scene and the four men were arrested.

While the four have not been identified, some of them are believed to be in their 30’s, the report said.

Authorities said that an autopsy had revealed that Mr Wang died by drowning.

Xinzhou police said as a consequence of the incident that they will crack down on crimes involving guns and explosives.

China generally has a low rate of violent crimes. In October 2021, a man in Wuhan reportedly killed seven people before jumping off a bridge while fleeing from the police.

Possession of guns by private individuals is illegal in the country.

In 2020 China launched a three-year campaign against gun and explosives crimes that targeted the manufacture and sale of guns and explosives in China and the smuggling of related goods from other countries, according to a report in the Global Times.

Last June, the Chinese ministry of public security launched a special campaign on Saturday to enhance management of guns and dangerous explosive items and crack down on related crimes.