Thailand school shooting: 14-year-old kills seven before suicide

A 14-year-old boy shot and killed seven people at his home and school on the outskirts of Bangkok on Friday before turning the gun on himself, in one of Thailand’s deadliest mass shootings in years.

The attack began early in the morning when the boy fatally shot his grandparents, with whom he lived, at their home. He then went to Debsirin Nonthaburi School in the Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province, northwest of Bangkok, and opened fire around 10 a.m., killing teachers, staff and students. Authorities have not released his name because he is a minor.

Bangyai Hospital said 23 people were wounded, 10 of them in critical condition, with most suffering gunshot wounds; earlier casualty figures had conflicted. The rampage ended when the gunman killed himself, police said. A restaurant owner near the school described a single shot, a pause, then sustained gunfire as students poured screaming into the narrow street outside.

The motive remained under investigation, though there were reports the boy had been under stress connected to school. His father told CNN he had seen no signs of violence and could not explain the attack, saying his son’s hobbies included soccer, video games and his pet birds.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited in the aftermath, said the government would move to tighten gun laws, including a measure to allow only on-duty officials to carry firearms. It was Thailand’s second school shooting this year, after a February attack in the south, renewing calls for stricter gun control in a country with high gun ownership but relatively rare mass shootings.