SIMPANG AMPAT: A witness initially mistook the sound of gunfire for a burst trailer lorry tyre before discovering a wounded man had run into her eatery seeking refuge.

The woman, who declined to be named, said she was at the cashier's counter with several employees when they heard a series of loud bangs about 10am.

She said they did not immediately suspect the sounds were gunshots as the shop is located along a busy road frequently used by lorries,

where tyre blowouts are not uncommon.

"We thought it was a truck or trailer lorry tyre bursting because heavy vehicles pass through here all the time.

"A short while later, a man suddenly ran into the shop. That was when we realised there had been a shooting outside," she said.

The woman said she did not witness the gunman opening fire because she and her employees immediately took cover after seeing a man enter the premises holding a pistol.

"As soon as we saw him with a gun, we all ducked and hid. We only got up after everything had quietened down and there were no more gunshots.

"Only then did we realise a man had been injured," she added.

She believed the victim was not one of her customers but had fled from a nearby shop before entering the eatery to seek shelter.

The woman said she was grateful the restaurant was not crowded at the time, as most breakfast customers had already left for work.

"Fortunately, there were not many customers. Had it happened earlier, the situation could have been far more chaotic," she said.

The New Straits Times earlier reported that a 38-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his right hand after a gunman allegedly fired at least five shots before fleeing in a car.

The 10am incident happened outside a row of shophouses in Jalan Perniagaan Seri Tambun here.