Eight dead in Nonthaburi school shooting

Gunman killed grandparents before deadly school shooting, 26 rounds fired Gunfire breaks out at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi, on Friday morning. (Photo: Poh Teck Tung Foundation) Eight people were killed and at least 22 others injured after gunfire erupted at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, on Friday morning. The suspected shooter, a Mathayom 2 (Grade 8) student, was later found dead inside the well-known secondary co-ed school. Investigators subsequently searched the suspect’s house in Bang Bua Thong district and found the bodies of his grandfather, 73, and grandmother, 74, inside. Both had fatal gunshot wounds to the head. Authorities believed the grandparents were killed before the student went to the school, though the exact timeline remains under investigation. The incident was reported at around 10am when volunteers from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation received reports of shots fired inside the school. A student inside the school said the gunman, dressed in a purple physical-education uniform, fired 26 rounds on the school grounds. Another 34 rounds of ammunition were found at the scene, police said. A handgun and multiple rounds of ammunition recovered by police at the scene of the school shooting in Nonthaburi province. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham) Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat said the eight fatalities include five teachers, the suspected shooter and his grandparents. Twenty-two people were injured, nine seriously, and taken to hospitals for treatment. The suspected perpetrator, armed with a 9mm handgun, had barricaded himself on the third floor of the school's pink building. Police confirmed the suspected gunman was found dead, apparently of self-inflicted wounds. Authorities rushed to the scene to evacuate students and staff and maintain a security cordon around the campus. Rescuers take injured students to a hospital. (Photo: Boonpiwa Fire and Rescue Team) Officials urged the public to stop livestreaming the incident and avoid the surrounding area to prevent interference with the ongoing operation. Forensic police were examining the crime scene, inspecting the firearm used in the attack and interviewing witnesses and others connected to the case. Investigators were working to establish the motive and reconstruct the sequence of events in one of Thailand’s deadliest recent school shootings. A student believed to be the gunman is hiding inside a school building at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, on Friday. (Photo: Boonwipa Fire and Rescue Team) In February this year, a 17-year-old gunman stormed a school in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, injuring staff and pupils. The school director later died of her injuries and the suspect was captured by police. In October 2022, 37 people, including 22 children, were killed when a disgraced former policeman armed with a gun and a knife attacked a child development centre in Nong Bua Lam Phu province.