A teenage suspect killed his grandparents before opening fire at a secondary school near Bangkok on Friday, killing three teachers and three students, Thai police said.
Gatekeepers News reports that according to a statement by the national police, the teenager first used his grandfather’s handgun to kill his grandparents before travelling to Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, where he carried out the shooting.
The incident prompted a large deployment of police and emergency responders to the school as parents rushed to collect their children. Tearful students and staff were also seen comforting one another outside the school premises.
“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 very loudly because it seemed the suspect was on the floor directly above us. I could even hear bullets hitting the floor,” she added.
Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee told local broadcaster Thai PBS that 15 students were injured while trying to escape the shooting. The students were not hit by gunfire, he said.
The shooter was identified as a teenage student of the school and was also reported dead, according to local media reports citing authorities.
However, reports differed on how the suspect died, with some saying he was shot dead by police 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 Bangkok’s Government House.
Photos published by local media showed the suspect wearing a purple school uniform and carrying a black cross-body bag, while several bullet casings could be seen on the ground.
An AFP journalist also reported seeing a dozen mental health workers arrive at the school as traffic around the area came to a near standstill.
The shooting has renewed concerns over gun violence in Thailand, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region. About 10 million firearms are estimated to be in circulation in the country, equivalent to roughly one gun for every seven people.
Previous promises to tighten gun controls have failed to prevent repeated shootings.
In February, Thai police shot and arrested a teenager who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand, killing the principal and injuring two students. The teenager reportedly used a police officer’s weapon in the attack.
A local police chief said at the time that the suspect had been hospitalised for psychiatric treatment in December before being discharged. Shortly before the shooting, he reportedly stabbed a police officer with a knife, stole the officer’s 9mm pistol and used it in the attack.
In 2022, a former police officer armed with a gun and knife stormed a nursery in northern Thailand, killing 24 children and 12 adults in one of the country’s deadliest mass shootings.
