A gunman shot and killed five people at a popular fresh food market in the Thai capital before killing himself, police said.
The victims included security guards at the Or Tor Kor market in the district of Chatuchak in Bangkok, according to a police statement yesterday.
The gunman initially killed three security guards, and then a fourth with whom he had a personal quarrel, Siam Bunsom, commander-in-chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau said.
“He reloaded and ran into the market, killing a female merchant and injuring another,” Siam told reporters.
The Erawan Medical Center, which coordinates emergency medical services, reported two women were wounded.
The market, next to the sprawling Chatuchak weekend market, carries all sorts of goods and is popular with Thai and foreign tourists.
A video circulating online reportedly showed the shooter wearing a baseball cap and shorts walking in the market with a backpack strapped to his chest and a handgun in his right hand.
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.”
No tourists were killed or injured, said Sanong Saengmani, a police official in Bangkok’s Bang Sue district, where the market, which mainly sells agricultural produce, is located.
Police said they were probing details about the suspect, including his motivation.
Police Gen Kitrat Phanphet, chief of the national police force, said he has ordered city police to carry out their investigation quickly and gather all evidence, including closed-circuit video footage.
Gun violence is not unusual in Thailand, which has fairly restrictive laws but also a high level of gun ownership. — AP/Reuters
