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A teenage suspect killed his grandparents before carrying out a shooting at a secondary school near Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, killing at least six more people, including teachers and students, police said on Friday.
According to the national police, the teenager first used his grandfather’s handgun to kill his grandparents before heading to Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, where he opened fire. The attack left three teachers and three students dead.
The suspect, identified as a student of the school, was also reported dead after the incident, although authorities gave conflicting accounts on whether he was killed by police or died by suicide.
The attack sent panic through the school community as dozens of police officers and emergency responders gathered at the scene. Parents rushed to the school to pick up their children, while distressed students and staff comforted one another outside the premises.
A grade 12 student, Pawarisa Maylissa, described the terrifying moments as gunshots rang out inside the school.
“I was afraid that I would die, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams,” she said, adding that she could hear “many gunshots very loudly” because the suspect appeared to be on the floor directly above her.
Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee said 15 students were injured while trying to escape the attack, though they were not hit by gunfire.
“It’s such a terrible incident. It should never have happened. How could this happen in our country?” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters in Bangkok.
Mental health workers were deployed to support affected students and staff as authorities investigated the motive behind the shooting.
The incident has renewed attention on Thailand’s gun violence problem. The country has one of the highest levels of firearm ownership in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 10 million guns in circulation.
Thailand has experienced several deadly shootings in recent years, including a 2022 massacre at a nursery in the north where an ex-police officer killed 36 people, including 24 children and 12 adults. In February, a teenager also carried out a school shooting in southern Thailand, killing a principal and injuring two students after taking a police officer’s weapon.
The latest attack has again intensified calls for stronger gun controls and greater attention to mental health support for young people.
