A former policeman stormed a kindergarten in Thailand on Thursday, killing dozens of children and teachers in the deadliest attack in the country’s history.
The gunman, who authorities said had been fired from the force earlier this year because of a drug conviction, later killed his own wife and son at home and eventually turned the weapon against himself.
Staff at the daycare center in Nong Bua Lamphu City locked the door when they saw the man approaching with a gun, but he shot inside.
Initial reports claimed it was a mass shooting, carried out by a former police officer named Panya Kamrap, 34. Investigators later said the suspect “primarily used a knife” to kill his young victims.
The tragedy took place around 12.30 local time. A witness said staff at the daycare locked the door when they saw the assailant approaching with a gun, but he forced his way into the daycare and shot himself.
“The teacher who died, she had a child in her arms,” an unnamed witness told Thai television station Kom Chad Luek at the scene.
Thai rescue workers carry a coffin containing the Nong Bua Lamphu nursery
(EPA)
“I didn’t think he would kill children, but he shot at the door and shot straight through.”
Video taken by emergency responders arriving at the scene of the single-story center showed first responders rushing into the building past a broken glass front door, with blood visible on the floor.
In footage posted online after the attack, the frantic family could be heard crying outside the building, and one image showed the floor of a room smeared with blood where mats were strewn about.
Videos and photographs posted on social media showed crying parents huddled together as they anxiously awaited news.
Panya Khamrap’s body in a body bag at Na Klang Hospital
(Reuters)
District official Jidapa Boonsom said that at the first sound of gunshots, “people thought it was fireworks.”
Before carrying out his attack, Kamrap attended a court hearing on a drug charge, police spokesman Paisan Luesomboon told ThaiPBS television.
He added that Kamrap was dismissed from the force earlier this year for drug-related offences.
In a Facebook post, Thai police chief General Dumrongsak Kittiprapas said the assailant’s case involved possession of methamphetamine.
In an image taken from the video, a distraught woman is comforted outside the scene of the attack
(AP)
Police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapat told reporters that the suspect was a sergeant in the force before he was fired and was using a 9mm pistol that he had purchased legally.
“We’re still investigating all of this and have to learn from it,” he said. “Today is the first day and we don’t have all the details.”
After the court appearance, Kamrap went to the nursery where witnesses claimed he appeared agitated after discovering his son was not there.
Ex-cop Panya Khamrab, who is believed to be the suspect
(Central Research of Thailand)
Police said he was armed with a shotgun, a pistol and a knife and fled the scene in a vehicle, shooting from his car and hitting several people, Brigadier General Paisal Luesomboon told the AP.
Then he went home. Earlier, police said he was last seen driving a white four-door Toyota pickup with a Bangkok license plate.
In a statement after the incident, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha described the incident as shocking and urged all parties to help treat the injured.
Thai police officers inspect the scene of the massacre
(EPA)
“The prime minister has expressed his condolences over the shooting incident,” a government spokesman said. “This should not happen. I feel deep sadness for the victims and their families.”
Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapat speaks to a police operations team
(Royal Thai Police/AFP via Getty)
The prime minister has also ordered Lt. Gen. Yanyong Wech-Osoth, commander-in-chief of the police, to fly to Nong Bua Lamphu to speed up the investigation.
Gun deaths in Thailand are much lower than in countries like the United States and Brazil, but higher than in countries like Japan and Singapore that have strict gun control laws. Last month, an employee opened fire on classmates at the Army War College in Bangkok, killing two and injuring another before being arrested.