A teenage student killed his grandparents before attacking a school near Bangkok on Friday, leaving at least eight people dead, police said.
The suspect first fatally shot his grandparents using his grandfather’s handgun before travelling to a secondary school north of Bangkok, where he killed three teachers and three students, according to a national police statement.
Dozens of police officers and emergency responders gathered outside Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province as panicked parents rushed to collect their children. Tearful students and staff comforted one another outside the campus.
“I was afraid that I would die, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams,” said Pawarisa Maylissa, a Grade 12 student who hopes to study medicine.
“I heard many gunshots because it seemed the suspect was directly above us. I could even hear bullets hitting the floor.”
Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee told Thai PBS that 15 students were injured while fleeing the attack, though none had suffered gunshot wounds.
Authorities identified the attacker as a teenage student at the school. He was also reported dead, according to local media citing officials.
Conflicting accounts
Authorities have not confirmed how the suspect died. Some local media reports said police fatally shot him, while others reported that he died by suicide.
“It’s such a terrible incident. It should never have happened. How could this happen in our country?” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at Government House in Bangkok.
Images published by local media showed the suspect wearing a purple school uniform and carrying a black cross-body bag, with several spent shell casings scattered nearby.
An AFP journalist saw about a dozen mental health workers arrive at the school, where traffic had ground to a near standstill.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of civilian gun ownership in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 10 million firearms in circulation — roughly one for every seven people.
Despite repeated promises to tighten gun laws, the country has continued to experience high-profile mass shootings.
In February, police shot and arrested a teenager who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand, killing the principal and wounding two students. The suspect had allegedly stolen a police officer’s 9mm handgun after stabbing the officer with a knife shortly before the attack. Local police said he had previously been hospitalised for psychiatric treatment and discharged in December.
In 2022, a former police officer armed with a gun and knife attacked a nursery in northeastern Thailand, killing 24 children and 12 adults in one of the country’s deadliest mass killings.
AFP
