Thailand School Shooting: Teen Kills Grandparents, Six Others in Deadly Attack Near Bangkok

Thailand has been rocked by another mass shooting after a teenage student allegedly killed his grandparents before launching a deadly gun attack at his secondary school, leaving eight people dead in a tragedy that has reignited concerns over gun violence in the country.

The shooting unfolded on Friday in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok. Thai police said the teenager first used his grandfather’s handgun to shoot dead his grandparents before heading to Debsirin Nonthaburi School, where he opened fire, killing three teachers and three students.

Authorities said the suspect also died during the incident, although local reports have given conflicting accounts of his death. Some media outlets reported that police shot him, while others said he died by suicide before officers could apprehend him.

The attack sent students and staff into panic as gunshots echoed through the school. Parents rushed to the campus while police officers and emergency responders secured the area. Mental health teams were later deployed to assist traumatised students, teachers and grieving families.

One survivor, Grade 12 student Pawarisa Maylissa, described the terrifying moments as the shooting unfolded overhead.

“I was afraid that I would die, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams. I heard many gunshots very loudly because it seemed the suspect was on the floor directly above us. I could even hear bullets hitting the floor,” she said.

Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee confirmed that 15 students were injured while trying to escape the violence. None of them suffered gunshot wounds, but they sustained injuries during the chaotic evacuation.

Reacting to the tragedy, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul described the incident as heartbreaking and questioned how such violence could occur.

“It’s such a terrible incident. It should never have happened. How could this happen in our country?” he said.

The latest shooting has once again placed Thailand’s gun control policies under scrutiny. The country has one of Southeast Asia’s highest rates of civilian gun ownership, with an estimated 10 million firearms in circulation—roughly one weapon for every seven residents.

The attack also follows a series of deadly shootings that have shaken Thailand in recent years. Earlier this year, a teenager fatally shot a school principal and injured two students after stealing a police officer’s firearm. In 2022, a former police officer carried out one of the country’s worst massacres, killing 36 people, including 24 children, at a nursery in northern Thailand