- A 14-year-old student allegedly shot dead his grandparents at their home at dawn, then took a bus to school, 18 km away, and started shooting just before 10 a.m. (0300 GMT).
- The alleged gunman, another 14-year-old student, ran amok for about 40 minutes, killing three teachers and two school officials before turning the gun on himself.
- In total, nine people were killed and 23 wounded, making it Thailand's worst mass shooting since 2022 and reigniting debate over firearms control in Southeast Asia's largest gun-owning nation.
- Student Khim described the terror in the classroom: classmates moved desks to block the door, turned off lights, and huddled near windows, while she heard multiple gunshots and feared they wouldn't survive.
- Mother Kwan, on speakerphone with her daughter, described the shooter clearing rooms one by one on the second floor, and the sound getting closer until reaching Building 4 where her daughter was.
- Police said the alleged shooter used at least 26 bullets, and another 34 rounds were found in his possession.
- Khim expressed a newfound love for her elder sibling, despite their usual fighting.
- Khim told her mother not to call her because the ringtone might go off, and she expressed uncertainty about the shooter's intentions.
A 14-year-old student in Thailand committed a horrific act of violence, first killing his grandparents at dawn before traveling to his school, where he opened fire just before 10 a.m. on a Friday morning.1
Over the course of approximately 40 minutes, he shot and killed three teachers and two school officials before turning the gun on himself, resulting in a total of nine fatalities and 23 injuries. This incident marks Thailand's deadliest mass shooting since 2022, reigniting urgent discussions about firearms control in a country known for its high rate of gun ownership.
Witnesses described the chaos and fear that enveloped the school. One student, identified only as Khim, recounted, “I heard multiple gunshots and felt like we weren't going to survive,” as she and her classmates barricaded themselves in their classroom. Another parent, Kwan, shared her panic as she communicated with her child during the shooting, stating, “I told them, 'Right now, I am on speakerphone with my child. He is on the second floor, clearing rooms one by one from the right side.'”4591011
Police reported that the shooter fired at least 26 bullets and had an additional 34 rounds in his possession, raising further questions about how such a young individual could access firearms. The tragedy has sparked renewed calls for stricter gun control measures in a nation grappling with the implications of gun violence.
“The alleged gunman used at least 26 bullets, with 34 more rounds found on him, police said. Student Khim, who hid with classmates as desks blocked the door, told her mother not to call because the ringtone might give them away.”
