The incident occurred at a village in Wang Nam Khieo district, in the north-eastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima. - PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
BANGKOK: A Thai wedding party on Nov 25 took a tragic turn when the groom shot dead four people including his wife before turning the gun on himself.
The incident occurred at a village in Wang Nam Khieo district, in the north-eastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The man was identified as Chaturong Suksuk, the Bangkok Post reported. He had represented Thailand in swimming and shooting at the Paralympic Games.
Chaturong, 29, had married his bride, Kanchana Pachunthuek, on the morning of Nov 25.
They had lived together as a couple for three years before they decided to tie the knot.
A wedding party was then held at night, during which guests and family members said Chaturong did not appear as happy as was expected.
He left the party at some point and returned with a 9mm pistol. He fired shots that killed Ms Kanchana, her mother and her younger sister.
Stray bullets hit two guests, who were rushed to the district hospital. One of them died.
Police are investigating the motive for the killings.
A preliminary probe found that the couple had had an argument during the party, The Nation reported.
Witnesses said their argument was triggered by the groom’s insecurities, as he feared his wife would leave him for another man because of his disability.
Chaturong was a former paramilitary ranger who lost his right leg in an accident while on duty.
He had won a silver medal in the 11th Asean Para Games in Indonesia held in 2022, Thai newspaper KhaoSod said.
The incident on Nov 25 came just days after a report that Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had signed an order to halt the issue of gun licences for a year.
The order followed a recent spate of shootings in the Thai capital and was aimed at curbing gun violence in the country. - The Nation Thailand/ANN
