A Mondulkiri man faces a possible murder charge after allegedly shooting his younger brother dead – in what the accused says was an accident – while hunting an endangered species in a protected area.

Char Deth, a 36-year-old from Laos, was arrested in Koh Nhek district  on Friday, two days after the incident, which also involved two other hunters.  

“We prepared the case and sent the suspect to court with evidence such as a gun and the meat of bantengs,” said Mondulkiri police chief Nhem Vanny, referring to an endangered species of wild cattle. Vanny said the three men would likely be charged with intentional murder, hunting in a protected area and hunting an endangered species, though Deth had said the gun had accidentally gone off. He was arrested by wildlife guards, while the other two men remain at large.