Thai teen kills 8 in school and home shooting rampage
Photo: REUTERS
A 14-year-old teenager killed eight people and himself during a violent shooting rampage at his home and a school near Bangkok on Friday.
The youth first fatally shot his grandparents before attacking the Debsirin Nonthaburi School, resulting in the country’s deadliest mass killing since 2022. Lieutenant General Trairong Phophan, a spokesperson for the National Police, confirmed that the shooter was among the seven people who died at the school campus.
Emergency workers transported 15 injured survivors to hospitals as traumatized students and teachers fled the northwestern outskirts facility.
Police investigators revealed that the boy used his grandfather’s gun to fire at least 26 bullets, and they discovered him with 34 additional rounds of ammunition.
One 18-year-old student recalled the initial confusion of the attack, saying, “I didn't think it was a gun at first.” He described the terrifying sequence of gunfire, “There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again.”
Education Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong confirmed that both teachers and students were among the casualties.
Kiatikhun Verapongpradith, a 47-year-old emergency responder, described finding a male teacher dead on an upper floor and a female teacher suffering from chest and arm wounds in another room.
Verapongpradith and his team reached the shooter after hearing a final shot. The emergency worker stated, “We rushed up and found that the perpetrator had shot himself in the right side of the head and collapsed. When we got up there, we checked his pulse, he still had one, so we started CPR.”
The suspect later died after being taken to the hospital. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed his grief to reporters, saying, “This is terrible for something like this to happen”. The Prime Minister added, “I'm sad for those who died and sad for something like this to happen in our country.”
Thailand has struggled with a history of deadly shootings, maintaining the highest rate of civilian firearm ownership in Southeast Asia with an estimated 10.3 million guns.
This tragedy follows a horrific 2022 attack where a former policeman killed 36 people, including 22 children, at a daycare center. Other major incidents include a 2020 massacre in Nakhon Ratchasima that left 29 dead and a 2023 shooting at a Bangkok shopping mall.
Following the 2023 incident, the government ordered gun control measures, including a ban on new licenses, import restrictions, and mandatory mental health assessments for gun owners.
Source: Reuters (adapted)
