Thai teen kills 7 in rampage at home and school before ending his own life

A 14-year-old student in Thailand killed at least five people and himself at a school outside Bangkok on Friday after fatally shooting his grandparents, police said, in the Southeast Asian nation's worst mass killing since 2022.

Those killed at the school were all teachers and staff, police said. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said more than 30 people were injured, with around nine in critical condition.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Yotsanan Wongsawat visited the site on Friday and reported that the situation is under control, with injured people receiving full medical care.

The shooting took place at a school in central Thailand's Nonthaburi Province, bordering Bangkok. Police said the suspected gunman, seen wearing a purple tracksuit, fired at least 26 bullets using a gun belonging to his grandfather. An additional 34 rounds were found, police said.

It is also reported that the suspected gunman committed suicide after the shooting.

During the investigation into the motive for the school shooting case, Thai police found on the suspect's computer that he had searched for and studied a US school shooting case, though the motive has not been officially determined, according to the authorities.

Anutin said at the scene that the reason for the attack may be excessive academic pressure since the alleged student shooter's grandparents were very strict with his studies, according to Agence France-Presse.

A friend of the gunman also confirmed that he was under great pressure recently and had made thorough preparations before the shooting, and had even posted photos of the gun he used on social media.

"It is horrible. This should not have happened," said Anutin, expressing sadness and regret for those who were killed and injured.

Preventive measures

He called the attack a societal tragedy and urged nationwide preventive measures and decisive legal action.

Anutin, who previously tightened gun laws when he was interior minister, vowed to introduce a new firearms control law in Southeast Asia's largest gun-owning nation. "The new law will only allow government officials on duty to carry guns," he said.

Thailand had 10.3 million firearms held by civilians, equating to around 15 guns per 100 residents, the Small Arms Survey estimated.

Government deputy spokeswoman Phatdarasmi Thongsaluaykorn said in a press release Friday evening that the government is expediting assistance for those affected by the violence.

The government has approved 1 million baht ($30,256) in compensation for each family of those killed, while injured victims will receive between 100,000 baht for minor injuries and 700,000 baht for permanent disability.

Authorities said payments are expected within days and mental-health teams have also been deployed.

The shooting was the second school shooting in Thailand this year and the deadliest such incident since 2022, when a sacked former police officer carried out a three-hour gun-and-knife rampage that killed 36 people, including his wife, son and 22 children.

On the same day, a car crashed into a children's development center in Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand, injuring at least 13 children, with police saying the driver lost control of the vehicle due to a sudden illness.

Agencies and Liu Tianyun in Beijing contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn