A man in Mianxian County, Shaanxi Province, who accidentally shot his hunting buddy was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday.

Surnamed Wu, the man and his friend surnamed Liu went hunting in January when Wu used a homemade gun to shoot Liu dead. He said he heard a noise in the forest and thought it was a wild animal.

Wu was found guilty of owning an illegally made gun and of negligence.

(China Daily May 31, 2009)