An unidentified gunman opened fire at a house in Midigama, Matara, before dawn on Wednesday. The residents were inside at the time and none was hurt.
The shooting targeted a house in the Dammala area of Midigama in the early hours of Wednesday, Hiru News reported at 8.39 a.m.
Police said the shooting was carried out with the aim of intimidation, arising from a dispute that has existed between two parties for some time. Midigama Police are conducting further investigations.
No injuries were reported, NewsFirst reported in its own account, which says police have launched an investigation.
The two accounts differ on the evidence recovered
The filings agree on the event and disagree on a detail that matters for how many shots were fired.
- Hiru says police recovered one cartridge casing from the scene.
- NewsFirst says two spent cartridge casings were recovered.
Neither account acknowledges the other figure, and nothing in either explains the difference. This article reports both rather than choosing between them.
The place name also differs between the two. Hiru’s Sinhala gives the locality as Dammala; NewsFirst renders it Dampala. Both place it in Midigama, Matara.
NewsFirst carries no motive. The account that the shooting was intended to intimidate, and that it stems from a long-running dispute between two parties, comes from Hiru alone and is attributed there to police.
This is not the Midigama shooting this desk reported in April
Midigama has produced a near-identical headline before, and the two incidents should not be confused.
On 19 April 2026 this desk reported that gunmen fired T-56 rounds at a house in Yahuwatta, Midigama and set a vehicle ablaze. That attack was at 11.45 p.m., involved two men on a motorcycle, used a T-56 assault rifle, destroyed a car parked outside, left five spent casings and 12 live rounds at the scene, and was linked by police to an underworld group known locally as the “Midigama Lansi” gang. The homeowner was a 35-year-old businessman who ran a fitness centre in Weligama.
Wednesday’s incident shares the town, the absence of injuries and a dispute motive, and differs in every particular that identifies an event: the locality, the hour, the weapon, the absence of arson, the number of casings and the number of attackers.
Not reported
Neither filing gives the time of the shooting beyond “early morning”, identifies the house or its occupants, says how many people were inside, or describes the weapon used. Neither says how many shots were fired — the casing count is the only indication, and the two accounts disagree on it.
Nothing identifies the two parties to the dispute Hiru refers to, says what the dispute concerns, how long it has run, or whether it has produced earlier incidents. No arrest is reported, no suspect is described, and no vehicle is mentioned.
Neither filing says whether the house was struck, what damage was caused, or whether the occupants have been given protection. No officer is quoted by name, and neither account connects the incident to the April attack or to any organised group.
