Bloody Rampage in Thailand: 14-Year-Old Kills Grandparents
In the worst mass shooting since 2022, 23 people were injured, and the attacker ultimately took his own life. The prime minister announces stricter gun laws.
In the worst mass shooting since 2022, 23 people were injured, and the attacker ultimately took his own life. The prime minister announces stricter gun laws.
In the quiet settlement of Bang Bua Thong, about an hour and a half's drive from Bangkok, a family tragedy unfolded on Friday, August 7, which quickly escalated into Thailand's worst mass shooting since 2022. A 14-year-old boy killed his grandparents in the family home in the early morning hours, then continued his bloody rampage at school.
Police Colonel Thadsakorn Konthong, chief of the Bang Bua Thong police station, shared the first details of the horrific event with Reuters. Around 5 a.m. local time, the boy fatally shot his grandparents, each with a single bullet to the head. "The firearm and ammunition belonged to his grandfather. A preliminary examination showed that the boy found the weapon in his grandfather's bedroom," Thadsakorn said. The boy lived with his grandparents in a house surrounded by trees and a concrete fence. After the murders, the 14-year-old took a school van toward Debsirin Nonthaburi School, 18 kilometers away, carrying the weapon and dozens of rounds of ammunition.
The school, which last year had about 3,100 students and 147 teachers, became the scene of the shooting half an hour after the start of the second period, which began at 9:20 a.m. Police received the report at 9:57 a.m. According to current findings, the boy first fired at teachers on the sixth floor, where he killed three, including a Thai language teacher.
Police General Dejrapee Kongdee, commander of the Nonthaburi provincial police, detailed the attacker's movements: "He then went down the stairs and encountered the deputy director and the director's secretary, who were coming up to check what was happening." He shot and killed both on the staircase. In the ensuing chaos, students fled barefoot, hid under desks, and cried as gunshots echoed. An 18-year-old witness said he initially thought he heard fireworks.
After the evacuation, police searched the building floor by floor. On the fourth floor, they found the 14-year-old, who had already shot himself. Emergency services provided aid and transported him to the hospital, but he soon died. In total, he fired at least 26 rounds, and 34 more were found on him. Five bodies were found in the school, while 23 people were injured in the attack.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the school after the tragedy, told reporters that the boy was under pressure. "He was stressed about his schooling. His actions were deliberate. From what we saw, he had a plan," the prime minister said. He also revealed that after the Songkran festival in April, the boy had posted a photo of his grandfather's legally registered pistol on social media. Police described the boy as quiet, not overly social, but quite successful in school. In addition to regular classes, he attended extra lessons on weekends, and in the evenings, he reportedly played shooting video games until midnight.
The shooting has reignited the debate on gun control in a country with one of the highest numbers of civilian-owned firearms in Southeast Asia. Prime Minister Anutin announced concrete steps: "We must do everything in our power to ensure greater safety," he said, adding that he would propose a new law to further restrict the carrying of firearms in public.
