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Shotgun Hunter Thought He Saw A Racoon; It Was His Friend and Sons
posted (March 26, 2018)
Last week we told you about a hunting trip gone wrong where a man and his two sons were shot. Fortunately it wasn't fatal. It happened last week Sunday night in the New Road Area of PG. Farmer Santos Cucul went hunting for raccoons in his cornfield. Cucul saw what appeared to him like the raccoons eye and fired his shotgun injuring his friend Raphael Choj Sr. and his two sons. Well, this weekend our team met with Choj's daughter and Cucul to get both sides of the story. We start off with Esmeralda Choj who explained what caused the confusion.

Esmeralda Choj, Daughter
"This last Sunday that past my father and two brothers went out hunting but actually they found a little creek and they love to fish so they went down and start to fish in the creek. Then my brother told me because they were the first ones I spoke to, they told me that they saw when the man went into his farm."

"So when they saw that they told me that they started to flash their lights so that the man don't shoot them so they thought that the man saw the flash so they continued to fish and then all of a sudden they heard a gunshot but they didn't know it was them who got shot until after five minutes they say they feel the gunshots."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"Where was your dad shot and as well as your brothers?"

Esmeralda Choj, Daughter
"Well one of my brothers, the little one he got shot by his neck and the other one got shot on his arm then my father he got shot one on his chest and two in his belly and one on his leg and one on his arm."

Courtney Weatherburne
"And right now he is at the hospital in Dangriga?"

Esmeralda Choj, Daughter
"Yes he is at the hospital in Dangriga."

Courtney Weatherburne
"How is he doing? What is his condition?"

Esmeralda Choj, Daughter
"Well he is doing good at the time and he may be released in a weeks' time."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Based on the police report it said that Mr. Cucul, he thought that your father and your little brothers were raccoons that is why he shot at them, do you believe his version of the story?"

Esmeralda Choj, Daughter
"Well I can't say anything towards that but like I said I do not know, I can't tell because hunters, people who experience hunting say they know the difference of a flash light from an animal's eye so."

But Cucul says it was a genuine mistake. He says all he wanted to do was get rid of the raccoon that was scurrying around in his farm and ruining his crops. Here is what he had to say.

Courtney Weatherburne
"So you go and hunt raccoons?"

Santos Cucul, Farmer
"Yes that is the Raccoon that messes up my corn so I was moving and I was going around in my little road and I was going and suddenly when I was flashing my light on both sides when I was going so from the time when I put my light on the left hand side so I see something like a blue eye and I said what is this, so my put my light again and again and I see like he is moving and he wants to run away from me and so I say this is the animal that is coming into my farm because it was almost close to the farm then I watch it two or three times then I fired my gun."

"When I walk to the creek then I hear some voice talking. So the young man tell me you hurt we, I say Oh my God who is this, he said you hurt us he said."

"I walk into the creek and I walk to the gentleman when I saw him, I said Rafael I didn't know it was you my friend, at least you could have shouted or whistle then I could have known who this."

"I told the young man sorry, I didn't mean to do it."

Choj Sr. is recovering at the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga.

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