Police have arrested a man for attempted murder in Letpadan Township, Pegu Division, after two men were injured in a shootout early Monday morning.

A confrontation between two villagers at a funeral wake in the village of Ywalay allegedly ended with one villager firing four shots. The suspect was identified as Wai Lin Aung and reported to police who then organised a search party.

Two people were injured in the altercation. One man, Zaw Min Aung, was wounded by the first shot, while his father, Maung Htay, sustained a gunshot wound to his elbow when he interceded between his son and the gunman, who then fired two more shots and fled the scene.

Local police were alerted to the incident and tracked Wai Lin Aung to his cousin’s house in the village of Thidagon. As police surrounded the house, Wai Lin Aung opened fire and wounded police officer Aung Nay San.

After several hours of negotiation he surrendered at around 7 am.

“We ordered him to stop resisting but he insisted he would rather die than surrender. We told other people inside the house to clear out and then we began negotiations with him, which lasted several hours,” said Letpadan’s police commander Major Hpone Myint.

The police seized an Italian-made Beretta handgun, two magazines and 23 bullets.

Reporting by Wunna Tun