Thailand’s prime minister has pledged to introduce new gun control legislation after a 14-year-old student killed eight people at his home and school on the outskirts of Bangkok on Friday. An attack authorities described as deliberate, accurate and carefully planned.
The teenager killed his 73-year-old grandfather and 74-year-old grandmother at their shared flat at around 05:00 local time, shooting each once in the head. He then boarded a school bus to Debsirin School in Nonthaburi, carrying the firearm and dozens of bullets. He attended his first class at 08:30 and his second at 09:20. Around thirty minutes into his second class, he drew the weapon and began shooting.
He killed three teachers on the school’s sixth floor before walking down the stairs, where he shot and killed the school’s deputy director and director’s secretary on the staircase. Police arrived while the shooting was still ongoing and found the attacker had shot himself by 10:40. Five people died immediately. A student wounded in the attack later died in hospital, bringing the total to eight. At least 22 others were injured.
Investigations
Police Colonel Thadsakorn Konthong confirmed the gun belonged to the teenager’s grandfather and had been legally registered. Investigators found signs the firearm had been searched for inside the grandfather’s bedroom before the attack. Police also found videos on the teenager’s devices related to school shootings in the United States. His uncle told local media the boy spent most of his time indoors playing violent video games and had shown no warning signs ahead of the attack. Family members described him as quiet and well-behaved.
National police chief General Kittiratt Phanphet told reporters the attacker’s shots were forensically assessed as highly accurate, with several hitting vital spots. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the attack was “well prepared” with “clear steps and clear goals.”
Anutin announced plans for legislation that would restrict the public carrying of firearms to government officials on duty. He also expressed personal anguish at the tragedy.
“How can this happen in our country,” he said.
Thailand has around 10.3 million civilian firearms, approximately four million of which are believed to be owned illegally. Strict laws carrying penalties of up to ten years exist on paper. Enforcement is another matter entirely.