A 14-year-old student killed his grandparents before opening fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School northwest of Bangkok, where five staff members were fatally shot, according to Thai authorities. The teenager subsequently died by suicide at the school. [Source 15315]
The attack began at about 10 a.m. at the co-educational state school in Nonthaburi province, which enrolls roughly 3,000 students between the ages of 12 and 18. Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee said the five people killed on campus were teachers and administrators. Police later found the student’s grandparents dead from apparent gunshot wounds at the home they shared with him. [Source 15315]
Reports differed on the number of people wounded. Bangyai Hospital, about 5 kilometers from the school, reported 23 injured people, including 10 in critical condition. The Guardian reported that more than 30 people were wounded and nine were critically ill, citing Thai health authorities. The differing figures appeared as emergency services assessed patients after the shooting. [Sources 15315, 15316]
Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan said the student attended school as usual after apparently shooting his grandparents. Once classes began, he opened fire in his classroom and continued shooting after entering the corridor. Police said he fired more than 20 rounds and still had 30 rounds when he died. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the compact firearm was legally registered to the student’s grandfather. [Source 15315]
Students and staff sheltered in classrooms while shots were heard elsewhere in the complex. One witness described frightened students streaming onto a narrow road near the school, some crying and holding hands. Police entered rooms to escort those hiding inside to safety. The lockdown ended about half an hour after reports of the attack emerged, according to an Interior Ministry official cited by The Guardian. [Sources 15315, 15316]
Anutin toured the school and said the student had shown signs of stress associated with school. Relatives who were present during the subsequent police investigation described the teenager as quiet and academically successful, and said they had not known of problems at home or at school. Authorities had not provided a more detailed motive. [Source 15315]
The school announced that classes would be suspended from August 10 through August 14, with staff instructed to work from home. The following day, mourners placed flowers and offered prayers at the school gate while families collected victims’ bodies from a Bangkok morgue. [Source 15315]
The attack renewed scrutiny of firearms in Thailand. Anutin said the government would pursue legislation limiting the carrying of guns to government officials while on duty, although he did not provide details about possible changes to ownership requirements. Thailand has the highest estimated level of civilian gun ownership in Southeast Asia, based on the Small Arms Survey’s 2017 international data. [Sources 15315, 15316]
