Thai Police Questioning Students, Teachers Over Deadly School Shooting

POLICE investigators are urgently questioning teachers and classmates of a 14-year-old male student who went on a rampage killing five teachers, a young girl, and injuring over 20 others before taking his own life after having also killed his grandparents at their home in Nonthaburi yesterday (Aug. 7), Amarin TV and Naewna newspaper said today. This television station received information that the young perpetrator was searching for a teacher who taught him Thai language but this teacher did not attend school yesterday. It was also said this teacher gave the perpetrator a grade of 0 in this subject, despite having a generally good academic record. Authorities are currently investigating whether issues regarding academic performance and the teacher were contributing factors to the crime. A classmate of the perpetrator confirmed before meeting investigators that the perpetrator was indeed looking for Teacher A (pseudonym), the Thai language teacher. The student stated that the perpetrator had previously failed Thai language, and it was the first time that he had received a zero. While his overall Thai language grades were not exceptional, he had never failed before. The perpetrator had also confided in a friend that he had submitted all his assignments but could not understand why his grade had not been changed. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered urgent psychological support for the victims, and pledged stricter gun control laws while offering condolences to the families of the deceased and injured. He has arranged compensation of 1 million baht for those who died, 700,000 baht for the disabled, and 200,000 baht for those seriously injured. Debsirin Nonthaburi School issued a statement expressing its deepest sorrow, offering condolences to the bereaved and injured, and promising compensation. At 11 a.m. parents of the perpetrator’s classmates brought them to Plai Bang police station to meet with investigators as witnesses. This morning, Pol. Col. Chokchai Kanacharoen, deputy commander of the Nonthaburi Provincial Police, revealed that a meeting will be held today to gather information and determine a clear motive in the massacre. Teachers and students are being questioned today with parents having already been quizzed yesterday, and it remains to be seen whether they will be summoned for further questioning. Regarding news reports suggesting the student perpetrator had problems at school, with friends, family, or was addicted to video games, all information will be considered to reach a clear conclusion. Multiple fatalities were discovered During police inspection of the crime scene, at the 6th floor of school’s Building 5, officers found the body of a female teacher inside a classroom and a male teacher shot dead on the balcony outside. Numerous spent bullet casings were found on the ground. Furthermore, on the 4th-floor stairwell of the same building, two more bodies were found lying side-by-side: a female and a male teacher, the school’s deputy director. The gunman shot himself to escape punishment Later, police officers located the suspect, who was hiding on the 4th floor of a four-storey building. Riot control officers from Nonthaburi Provincial Police, equipped with shields and weapons, surrounded the area to negotiate his surrender. During the manhunt, the suspect decided to shoot himself in the right temple. Paramedics rushed to perform CPR and transported him to the hospital, but he died later. The suspect was identified as 14-year-old Patchat, A search of his bag revealed a 9mm SIG Sauer pistol, one magazine, and 34 unspent 9mm rounds of ammunition. The atmosphere at the hospital sombre At Bang Yai Hospital, the atmosphere was filled with sadness. Many students and parents waited in front of the emergency room. Most of the injured were sent to Bang Yai Hospital for treatment, while some were transferred to nearby hospitals. Those sent to Bang Yai, if doctors assessed that their condition was very serious, were transferred to Phra Nangklao Hospital. One student who was present during the incident recounted that they were still in the classroom when they suddenly heard gunshots. They communicated via chat with older students to take cover with their friends because the perpetrator was firing indiscriminately. Students began to panic as the perpetrator walked from Building 5 to Building 4, firing indiscriminately. Meanwhile, the National Blood Centre also invited healthy individuals to donate blood to increase the blood reserves for treating patients. Teacher shot at point-blank range but miraculously survives. During the incident, one teacher posted that “Teacher Som was shot at point-blank range but managed to dodge. The perpetrator ran out of bullets.” The teacher later posted an update with this comment: “Safe. Not ready to answer anyone’s questions yet.” Kawinphop (last name withheld), a Grade 12 student at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, recounted the events, saying he heard several gunshots. Shortly after, someone ran to tell him that someone had shot a teacher. He and his friends quickly went into the classroom and locked the door. He looked out the window and saw a person with a gun coming down from Building 5 to the ground floor before running towards Building 4, where his class was. He quickly had his friends use desks and chairs to block the classroom door, locked the door, turned off the lights, and told everyone to remain calm and take cover. They all stayed in the room for almost 30 minutes until police officers arrived and told them to leave the area. Gunman remained calm and unfazed A school janitor recounted that the incident began on the 6th floor of Building 5, which houses classrooms for grades 7-9. He was on the ground floor near the building when he heard gunshots. Realising something serious had happened, he and other staff members rushed to close the back entrance of the school for safety. After the shooting on the 6th floor, the perpetrator walked down the stairs to the ground floor, carrying a gun, and crossed over to Building 4, passing him closely. The perpetrator appeared calm, walking nonchalantly without showing any signs of panic, fright, or attempting to run away. Even when police began arriving, the perpetrator continued to walk towards the upper floors of Building 4, where two or three more shots were fired before the situation calmed down. Regarding security measures for bringing weapons into the school, the janitor revealed that the school normally has teachers on duty at the entrance and uses a facial recognition system to record student attendance. There are no metal detectors or weapon scanners at the entrance.