KOTA KINABALU: Two people were killed and another injured after they were accidentally shot in two separate incidents.

In the first case, a man was shot dead in a forest near Kg Rampayan Ulu, Kota Belud on Tuesday (March 31).

According to the information received by the police, Sabah Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Zaini Jass said two men had gone hunting at about 2pm that day.

DCP Zaini said they spotted hoof prints of a deer and began to trail it.

"The victim headed downhill while the suspect remained on higher ground.

"Soon after, the suspect fired a shot at what he thought was an animal, but it turned out to be his friend instead" he said.

He added the victim, in his late 30s, was still alive and conscious at that time.

DCP Zaini said the suspect then ran out of the forest to get help from villagers as there was no phone reception.

He said when villagers arrived to provide help, the victim had already died.

"We arrested the suspect at about 2.30pm on April 1 and seized some items including two homemade guns, locally known as bakakuk, 13 bullets and a machete.

"The suspect, in his mid 30s, has been remanded for a week," he said.

In the second incident, a man surrendered to the police after he accidentally shot two of his friends during a hunting trip with a group of seven at the Trusmadi forest reserve on Wednesday (April 1).

The group entered the forest reserve at around 6pm and two went to higher ground while the rest stayed back to make camp.

Soon after, the suspect fired several shots at an area where he thought a wild animal was roaming.

"It turned out to be his friends. One of them, in his 30s, was shot in the head while the other, in his 50s, was hit in the thigh," DCP Zaini said.

The others then rushed to the Keningau police station to get help.

"The victims were taken out of the area at about 9pm on April 2," he said, adding that five men, aged between 30 and 60, were arrested on April 3.

DCP Zaini said four homemade guns and 14 bullets were among the items seized.

He said the suspects from both cases were being investigated for murder.