Gunman kills 5 near Bangkok’s Chatuchak market before taking own life
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BANGKOK – A gunman killed five people and injured three others at a market in Thailand’s capital Bangkok on July 28, attacking security guards and a merchant before fatally turning the gun on himself, a Thai police official said.
The gunman initially killed three security guards, and then a fourth with whom he had a personal quarrel, said Mr Siam Bunsom, commander-in-chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau. The incident took place at 12.31pm (1.31pm Singapore time), according to the Royal Thai Police.
“He reloaded and ran into the market, killing a female merchant and injuring another,” Mr Siam told reporters.
In video footage shared by police, a suspect in a white hat and a backpack slung on his chest is seen walking through a carpark at the Or Tor Kor Market in Bangkok’s Bang Sue district.
Ms Duangnapa Yeerunsiri, 38, who was at the market to buy groceries with her boyfriend and sister, was about to leave when she heard the shots ringing out.
“He fired many shots in rapid succession,” she said, referring to the gunman. “So we ducked down in the car and quickly called the police.”
The shooting stemmed from a personal dispute, with the suspect – a former market employee – holding a long-running grudge against one of the security guards.
“We obtained this information from his wife’s testimony,” officer Sayam Boonsom told reporters at the scene.
Mr Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of the Bang Sue district, said the suspect took his own life after the shooting and police were working to identify him, as well as investigating “for any possible link” to the current border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia.
No tourists were killed or injured in the shooting incident, said Mr Sanong Saengmani, a police official in the Bang Sue district.
Or Tor Kor market, where the attack took place, sells agricultural produce and local food.
PHOTO: EPA
Tourism is a key economic driver in Thailand, South-east Asia’s second-largest economy, where growth has been sluggish, and such incidents can dampen sentiment.
Or Tor Kor Market sells agricultural produce and local food. It is a short distance from Chatuchak market, a major tourist destination in Bangkok which throngs with visitors every weekend.
The five people killed by the gunman were security guards at the market.
PHOTO: AFP
Mass shootings are common in Thailand, where firearms can be obtained relatively easily due to lax gun control enforcement.
In October 2023, a 14-year-old suspect used a modified handgun to kill two people and injure five others
