BUNG KAN, Dec 20 (TNA) – A man in northeastern Thailand fatally shot two people and injured three others before taking his own life on Thursday.
The incident occurred at approximately 12:50 p.m. in Ban Phon Kaeo village, Phon Charoen district, Bung Kan province. Police received reports of a man firing a weapon at villagers.
Upon arrival, officers found two people dead, a 50-year-old woman and a 50-year-old man, in the street in front of a house. Both had sustained gunshot wounds to the head.
Two other people, identified as a father and son, were found injured inside the house, along with a rescue worker who had responded to the scene.
All three injured people were transported to local hospitals.
The gunman, identified as 34-year-old Thanaphon, fled the scene and barricaded himself in a nearby house. After a standoff and intermittent gunfire, police entered the house and found Thanaphon dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police investigations revealed the incident stemmed from a long-standing family dispute. The gunman was the nephew of one of the injured victims. Prior to the shooting, the gunman had visited his uncle’s house, where an argument ensued. He then shot his uncle and cousin. As he left the house, he shot a woman who was passing by, killing her. A man on a motorcycle who attempted to help the woman was also shot and killed.
The gunman and his uncle had been in conflict since 2010, when the gunman assaulted and killed his uncle’s eldest son. He was subsequently convicted and imprisoned from 2010 to 2020. Prior to his release, he reportedly threatened to seek revenge. After his release in 2020, he worked in Bangkok before returning to his home village on Wednesday.
Police believe the motive for the shooting was the family conflict. They have found no evidence of drug use or mental health issues on the part of the gunman, but noted that he was a quiet and reclusive person. – 819 (TNA)
