Four Killed and 15 Injured in School Shooting Near Bangkok

At least four people were killed and 15 students injured during a school shooting on Friday at a high school in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, according to Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee. The fatalities included two students and two teachers, while the injured students sustained harm while fleeing the scene rather than from gunfire itself.

The suspect was identified as a teenage student of the school who also died during the incident. Local media reports cited authorities with conflicting accounts: some said police officers shot and killed the suspect, while others indicated the suspect died by suicide. The shooter reportedly used a handgun, and the interior ministry is investigating how the student obtained the weapon.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed shock over the incident, describing it as a terrible event that should never have happened in Thailand. The shooting took place at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, where local media published photos showing the suspect wearing a purple school uniform and carrying a black cross-body bag, with bullet casings scattered on the ground.

Traffic near the school was heavily congested as parents rushed to pick up their children following the attack. The incident has reignited concerns about gun violence in Thailand, a country with one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region. It is estimated that around 10 million firearms are in circulation nationwide, roughly one for every seven inhabitants.

Despite previous promises to tighten gun laws, Thailand has experienced repeated shootings in recent years. In February, police shot and arrested a teenage gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand, resulting in the death of the school principal and injuries to two students. That suspect had stolen a 9mm pistol from a police officer after stabbing him with a knife. Authorities revealed that the suspect had been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment in December and was recently discharged.

The recent shooting adds to a grim history of mass violence in Thailand. In 2022, a former policeman armed with a gun and a knife attacked a nursery in the country’s north, killing 24 children and 12 adults in one of the deadliest massacres in the nation’s history.

The investigation into the Nonthaburi shooting is ongoing, with officials focusing on how the teenage suspect acquired the handgun and the circumstances leading up to the attack. The tragedy has prompted renewed calls for stricter gun control measures and enhanced mental health support to prevent similar incidents in the future.