SINGAPORE — New details have emerged to show that the cyclist who suffered a gunshot wound, and his friends, may have taken steps to conceal from the authorities the route they took on Sunday (June 15).
The Straits Times learnt that the 42-year-old did not initially disclose to the police and the National University Hospital (NUH) that he had been riding near the Nee Soon live-firing range when he was hit by a projectile.
The area between Upper Seletar and Upper Peirce reservoirs in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) is gazetted for live-firing, with clear signs warning hikers and riders against trespassing.
The cyclist, identified as L, often tracks his rides on hiking and cycling tracking app Strava. Checks by ST showed him entering the cycling trail from Chestnut Nature Park at about 9.50am on June 15, a Sunday.
He was with a group of about 10 cyclists at the time. At least one other cyclist, identified as W, was his regular riding partner.
W deleted details on Strava of his ride on June 15. But the route he took was mapped out on W's Garmin account, which is accessible to the public.
The apps show the pair hitting the cycling track at around the same time.
After leaving Chestnut Nature Park, they entered the Woodcutter's Trail in the CCNR at about 11am. The trail takes riders and hikers deep into restricted areas.
In an earlier statement, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said that the man was hit by a bullet slug at about 11.40am. L was then taken to NUH by his friends at about 1pm.
The police were alerted only at 11.55pm, more than 12 hours after the incident.
In response to ST's queries, an NUH spokeswoman said the cyclist was admitted to the emergency department.
"During triage and initial clinical assessment, the patient did not report that he had been shot," she said.
"There were no overt signs to indicate a firearm-related injury based on the patient's account and the circumstances surrounding the patient's admission.
"Hence, there was no known basis for a police report to be made at that point."
ST understands that L also did not disclose he had been riding in a live-firing area earlier.
NUH said the patient was attended to promptly based on standard trauma protocols, and was closely monitored.
He was given appropriate care and assessed to be in a stable condition throughout.
The cyclist underwent emergency surgery and received multidisciplinary care from the team at NUH's National University Centre for Trauma.
ST understands that as his injuries were not life-threatening, he went under the knife only at about 10pm, when a metal object was removed from his lower left back and later identified as a bullet slug.
It had narrowly missed his kidney.
"Once the cause of the external wound was definitively determined, we notified the police immediately," said the NUH spokeswoman.
She said the hospital is cooperating fully with the police, and is unable to comment further due to patient confidentiality and as the case is under investigation.
The police said NUH alerted them at 11.55pm of the gunshot wound.
After receiving the alert, the police activated their investigators and the Gurkha Contingent, who then combed the CCNR area.
The cyclist was interviewed by police investigators, but he again said he was nowhere near restricted areas when he was injured.
The man admitted the next day that he had been riding in a restricted area in the CCNR when he was shot.
It emerged later that the SAF was conducting a live-firing exercise at Nee Soon Range, around the time when L was riding in the Woodcutter's Trail.
The CCNR is Singapore's largest nature reserve, with more than 2,000ha of forest land and over 20km of trails, according to the National Parks Board.
The Woodcutter's Trail is a popular unofficial cycling route in the CCNR, known for its steep slopes and winding track. It is in a restricted area closed off to the public.
Riders typically start at Chestnut Nature Park off Bukit Panjang and cycle about 6km to get to the trail, usually exiting it near Mandai Crematorium or Seletar Reservoir via areas clearly marked as restricted.
L's Strava account showed that he had accessed the unofficial trail from as early as 2014, and cycled there on a battery-powered mountain bike frequently.
Before the incident, he used the trail at least 10 times in 2025, clocking between 14km and 27km each time.
L and W regularly ride with patrons of a bicycle shop near Pasir Panjang.
After ST visited the shop on the morning of June 19, W privatised his Strava and Garmin accounts.
L has also deleted his social media accounts.
Other cyclists who have frequented the Woodcutter's Trail have also started scrubbing videos and pictures of their previous visits to the area.
Mindef said that under the Military Manoeuvres Act, unauthorised individuals are not allowed to enter gazetted areas designated for SAF live-firing for their own safety.
The police said on June 18 that the cyclist who was shot is being investigated for wilful trespass.
Investigations by the police and the SAF are ongoing.
Additional reporting by Stacey Ngiam and Emerald Lo
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
