Thai prime minister vows gun curbs after school shooting

Thailand’s prime minister pledged tighter gun controls after a 14-year-old student killed his grandparents, opened fire at his school outside Bangkok and then took his own life, leaving eight people dead and more than 20 wounded, according to officials and local media reports.

The attack unfolded Friday morning in Nonthaburi province, northwest of Bangkok, at Debsirin Nonthaburi School. Authorities said the teenager first shot his 73-year-old grandfather and 74-year-old grandmother at the home they shared before traveling to school with a firearm and dozens of bullets.

At the school, officials said, he killed five staff members, including teachers and administrators. Thai media later reported that a student had died from injuries, bringing the overall death toll to eight, the BBC reported. Bangyai Hospital, about 3 miles from the school, said 23 people were wounded, 10 of them critically, most with gunshot wounds. The BBC reported 22 injured.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the school after the attack, confirmed the shooter was 14 and had killed himself. He said the student had shown signs of stress connected to school and described the attack as “well prepared,” with “clear steps and clear goals.”

The prime minister said the tragedy “shouldn’t have happened.” He added: “I don’t just feel sorry for the victims but I feel sorry that this happened. How can this happen in our country.”

Anutin said he plans to introduce laws restricting the carrying of firearms in public, allowing only government officials on duty to carry guns. During his earlier time as interior minister, he introduced several gun control measures, including a short-term ban on new gun licenses and import restrictions.

Police said the gun and ammunition used in the attack belonged to the teenager’s grandfather. Police Colonel Thadsakorn Konthong said an initial inspection found signs that the firearm had been searched for inside the grandfather’s bedroom. International and local media reported that the gun was legally registered and had a permit. CBS News reported that police described it as small and compact.

A Thai police official said the grandparents were each killed by a single shot to the head at around 5 a.m. local time. Reuters, cited by the BBC, reported that the teenager then boarded a school bus carrying the gun and bullets, attended a first class at 8:30 a.m. and a second at 9:20 a.m. About half an hour into the second class, he drew the gun and began shooting.

Police Major General Dejrapee Kongdee told Reuters that the teenager is believed to have first shot teachers on the school’s sixth floor, killing three of them. “He then walked down the stairs and encountered the school’s deputy director and the director’s secretary, who were going up the stairs to check on the situation,” Dejrapee said. “The attacker shot and killed both of them on the staircase.” Police found the attacker, who had shot himself, around 10:40 a.m., Dejrapee said.

Witnesses described panic as students fled. Amporn Niamfuang, who owns a restaurant about 160 feet from the school, said she first heard a single gunshot, then a pause. “And then there were multiple continuous shots,” she said. “Students were running scared and pouring onto the street. Young girls were holding each other’s hands and crying. I went inside to hide.”

Thailand has one of the highest rates of civilian gun ownership in Asia. The BBC reported that about 10.3 million firearms are in civilian possession in Thailand, roughly 4 million of them believed to be illegal. CBS News cited 2017 data from Small Arms Survey and GunPolicy.org showing civilian gun ownership in Thailand at about 15.1 guns per 100 people, compared with less than one per 100 in neighboring Malaysia.