One-year jail term in accidental hunting shooting death

The Criminal Court sentenced a 24-year-old man to 12 months in prison after convicting him of accidentally shooting another hunter to death, mistaking him for a hyena in Wadi Mujib in October 2017.

The court found the defendant guilty of shooting a 42-year-old man with a hunting rifle, as they were both hunting wild animals and handed him a one-year prison term.

Court documents said the suspect went alone on a hunting trip and heard noises which he thought came from a hyena.

“The defendant fired several shots towards the noise but realised that he shot a human being,” the court said. 

The defendant turned himself in to the police shortly the incident, the court maintained.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, the source said.

A team of government pathologists indicated that the victim received a fatal bullet wound to the back and head.

Criminal Court Prosecutor Issam Haddidi decided to amend the murder charges to involuntary manslaughter, a senior judicial source said.

“After hearing the evidence in court, it was evident that the shooting was accidental since the victim was hiding and he did not mean to kill him,” the senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

The verdict is subject to appeal by the Criminal Court’s general attorney at the Court of Cassation within the next 30 days.