A scholar shot a number of folks at a highschool exterior Bangkok on Friday morning, killing at the very least 5 and wounding a number of others, in keeping with authorities, who stated the gunman additionally appeared to have individually killed his two grandparents.
The shooter then took his personal life, officers stated.
5 college employees members, together with lecturers and directors, died within the taking pictures round 10 a.m. at Debsirin Nonthaburi College in Nonthaburi province northwest of Bangkok, Deputy Inside Minister Polapee Suwunchwee stated on the scene.
The shooter additionally killed his two grandparents at house previous to the college taking pictures, Polapee stated.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, talking after touring the college, confirmed experiences that the shooter was 14 years outdated and killed himself. He stated the boy, who lived along with his grandparents, had proven indicators of stress linked to highschool.
The gun, described by police as small and compact, was legally registered to his grandfather, he stated.
About an hour after the taking pictures, folks stood exterior comforting each other as police and first responders walked across the co-educational state college, which has an enrollment of about 3,000 college students starting from 12 to 18 years outdated.
A witness informed reporters that college students hid inside a classroom whereas they heard gunshots from one other constructing earlier than cops knocked on the door and cleared a manner for them to go away the constructing.
Amporn Niamfuang, who owns a restaurant roughly 50 meters from the college, stated the slim street exterior her store shortly full of fleeing college students after the taking pictures began.
“At first I heard only one gunshot, and there was a pause,” Amporn stated. “After which there have been a number of steady pictures.”
FILE- A schoolgirl cries exterior her college the place deaths and accidents had been reported after a taking pictures in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026.
(AP Picture/Sakchai Lalit)
“College students had been working scared and pouring onto the road. Younger women had been holding one another’s palms and crying. I went inside to cover.”
Bangyai Hospital, about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the college, stated 23 folks had been wounded and 10 had been in crucial situation, with most struggling gunshot wounds. Earlier experiences gave conflicting casualty numbers.
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The varsity stated all courses will probably be suspended from Aug. 10-14, and college employees are instructed to earn a living from home in that interval.
Police discover grandparents lifeless at household house
After the college taking pictures, police went to the house of the shooter’s grandparents however the door was locked and there was no response to their calls, regional police Commander Wattana Yeejeen stated.
Officers broke the door lock and located each the grandparents had died of obvious gunshot wounds, Wattana stated.
Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan stated the boy appeared to have shot his grandparents first earlier than attending college as regular. After the category had began for some time, the boy started taking pictures from inside his classroom, earlier than strolling out and persevering with taking pictures.
He stated the boy fired greater than 20 pictures and greater than 30 rounds had been discovered on him after he shot himself.
A number of members of the family of the alleged shooter, together with his uncle and sisters of the grandfather who had been on the household house whereas police investigated, stated he normally stored to himself and was an excellent scholar.
The members of the family stated they had been unaware of any troubles he confronted at house or college.
Thailand has excessive price of gun homeowners
Thailand has one of many highest charges of gun possession in Asia, second solely to Pakistan however far surpassing its Southeast Asian neighbors.
Knowledge collected in 2017 by the teams Small Arms Survey and GunPolicy.org of their final in depth worldwide research discovered civilian gun possession in Thailand was about 15.1 weapons per 100 folks, in contrast with lower than one per 100 in neighboring Malaysia.
Thailand had 3.49 deaths by firearms per 100,000 folks, in keeping with 2023 statistics printed by World Inhabitants Evaluation. That places it effectively behind elements of Latin America and the Caribbean, however comparatively excessive in Asia. Solely the Philippines is larger in Southeast Asia.
In February, a 17-year-old stole a gun from police and opened hearth at a public highschool in southern Thailand, briefly taking folks hostage in a two-hour assault that killed one particular person and injured two others.
A 14-year-old boy was accused of a 2023 taking pictures at a significant Bangkok shopping center.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
