BANGKOK - Thai police shot dead a gunman who killed three people and wounded three others, a senior officer said on Thursday, after a 15-hour stand-off.

The shooter started firing in Phetchaburi, about 100km southwest of Bangkok, at around 3pm on Wednesday, before police surrounded a house he was in.

The stand-off ended early on Thursday when armed police stormed the building and killed the gunman, Anuwat Waenthong, a 29-year-old former national park official.

One of those killed was a food delivery rider passing through the area, while a schoolgirl living near the gunman was shot and seriously wounded.

“We proceeded step by step, starting with negotiations, but he kept fighting back and shot others,” Police Lieutenant General Thanawut Wutijarasthamrong said.

“He ran into his room (on the second floor). If we did not have shields, my men would have been shot.”

The police found a Glock pistol and two magazines at the scene, but believe the man had more weapons.

The gunman was believed to be acting under stress because he was facing a court appearance on a physical assault charge, reported The Bangkok Post.

Thailand has high rates of gun ownership and there has been a steady number of violent incidents in the past 12 months, including one of the deadliest attacks in recent history: the massacre of 36 people, including 24 children, in northeastern Nong Bua Lam Phu province. AFP