Soldier killed in Sabah as live-firing drill goes wrong

36-year-old commando shot by fellow soldier while role-playing as criminal at army camp

Military medics administering treatment to Major Mohd Zahir Armaya after he was shot at an army camp in Malaysia's Sabah state on Wednesday. Maj Zahir was due to serve as a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon in a few weeks.
Military medics administering treatment to Major Mohd Zahir Armaya after he was shot at an army camp in Malaysia's Sabah state on Wednesday. Maj Zahir was due to serve as a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon in a few weeks. PHOTO: BERNAMA

KOTA KINABALU • He was an elite commando who would have begun serving as a United Nations peacekeeper in Lebanon in a few weeks. But in a live-firing demonstration gone awry at an army camp in Malaysia's Sabah state on Wednesday, he was shot dead by a fellow soldier.

The tragic incident has raised questions about what went wrong.

Major Mohd Zahir Armaya, a 36-year-old father of five, was a son of veteran Malaysian actor-comedian A.R. Badul, 70, and his former second wife, a Sabahan.

The police said they were investigating the case for negligence, while the Malaysian Army said it would form a special committee to probe the incident.

Maj Zahir was pronounced dead at the accident and emergency unit of Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu at 9.20am on Wednesday, about an hour after he was shot while participating in a demonstration at the Lok Kawi army camp to mark the launch of the army's Fifth Infantry Division and 13th Infantry Brigade.

It was learnt that as part of the demonstration, Maj Zahir, taking on the role of a criminal, was to shoot at a soldier who would then return fire. However, the soldier apparently missed his mark and the bullet struck Maj Zahir in a spot not protected by his bulletproof vest.

Military medics administered immediate treatment before sending him to the hospital, where he succumbed to the bullet wound.

Maj Zahir's grieving 56-year-old mother, Madam Rusunjan Mohammad, identified his body at the hospital mortuary.

The police have yet to ascertain all factors behind the death, Penampang police chief Mohd Haris Ibrahim said on Thursday.

He said the police were looking at whether there was any problem with the bulletproof vest, though initial investigations suggested that the bullet hit above the vest.

He added that they may also look at whether there were elements of foul play in the case.

"We hope to wrap up our investigations as fast as possible and hand over our findings to the Deputy Public Prosecutor's office for further action," he said.

Maj Zahir's body was taken to the Lok Kawi army mosque after a post-mortem. He was flown back to Kuala Lumpur later on Wednesday for a burial in Perak.

According to family members here, Maj Zahir was enlisted as part of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon and was scheduled to leave later this month.

"It is unimaginable. How can something like this happen? It should not have happened," said an uncle of Maj Zahir who declined to be named.

Maj Zahir was with the commando unit based in the Sungai Udang army camp in Melaka.

In a statement, the Malaysian Army said the simulation had been ongoing since Aug 19, but on the proper demonstration day, a fatal situation occurred. "The Malaysian Army will form a special investigation committee to identify the cause of the incident," said its public relations department.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 07, 2019, with the headline Soldier killed in Sabah as live-firing drill goes wrong. Subscribe