A FARMER, who was mistaken for a wild boar, was shot to death by a fellow farmed in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, the police reported Thursday, December 1, 2022.
Police Colonel Diomarie Albarico, Zamboanga del Sur police director, identified the victim as Antonio Barcenal, 70, who died on the spot.
Albarico said the incident happened around 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 29, in Purok Palanas, Guinlin village, Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur.
He said that prior to the incident, the suspect, Limpiado Tapic, 33, a farmer, and a companion, Dennis Laure, went to the farm of the victim around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, November 29, to ask permission to hunt wild boar.
However, Albarico said that Tapic and Laure presumed Barcenal had already left his farm and headed downhill since the victim was not around when they arrived at his farm.
Around 7 p.m. of the same day, Tapic heard noise in the middle of Barcenal’s cornfield, which he presumed to be a wild boar infesting therein.
The suspect discreetly crawled on his way towards the noise and as he got nearby, he heard a large thud and took a shot.
Albarico said Tapic later on discovered as he got closer that it was indeed a man, he killed instead of a wild boar that out of fear he ran downhill and told his companion, Laure, that he mistakenly shot and killed a man.
He said that it was only in the next morning that Tapic decided to tell the incident to his neighbors. (SunStar Zamboanga)