BANGKOK: The 14-year-old boy who allegedly killed seven people in a shooting rampage on Aug 7 was said to have been a quiet, reserved boy raised by loving grandparents.
The teen allegedly took a registered gun belonging to his grandfather to carry out the shootings. Police said he killed his grandparents at home before heading to school, where he killed two teachers and three other school staff members before turning the gun on himself. At least 23 others were also injured.
He died while he was being taken to hospital.
Samang Chaisorn, his aunt, said her nephew kept to himself and did not have many friends.
“He wasn’t particularly cheerful; he was just very quiet,” she told The Straits Times.
She said that when she heard there had been a shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, she called the teen’s grandfather to pick him up but could not reach him.
She did not know then that her nephew was the alleged gunman.
“When I arrived at the house, it was locked, and we couldn’t get inside. The village headman noticed that the air conditioner was still running, so he brought a saw to cut through and get inside,” she said. “When we entered, we found that they had already died.”
Pannatorn Temrak, the headman of Bangkurad subdistrict, where the grandparents lived, was among the first to enter their house.
“When we went inside, we found the grandfather’s body downstairs near the kitchen. He had been shot in the back of the head,” said Pannatorn, who knew the family personally.
“We found the grandmother upstairs in the bedroom. She was still under the blanket, as though she were asleep,” he said, adding that he believes she was also shot in the head.
Describing the grandparents as good people, Pannatorn said they had raised their grandson since he was very young. “They loved each other very much.”
Surin Adam, a motorcycle taxi driver, said he occasionally gave the student rides home from school on days that he was not taking a local songthaew, or public bus. He described the teen as quiet and reserved, adding that he rarely spoke during the rides.
It is unclear if the teen was targeting anyone in particular when he allegedly opened fire at his schoolmates and teachers.
However, he was said to have been a victim of bullying in school, and The Straits Times understands that he was locked in the toilet by some other students a day before the incident.
Investigators will be looking at the motives for the attack and how he had access to the gun. Preliminary information indicated he brought it to school inside a bag.
Education Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong told reporters that security measures at schools will be “significantly strengthened”.
Education district directors across the country are meeting on Aug 8 to discuss enhanced school security and measures to protect students.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in South-East Asia, and gun violence is not uncommon. - The Straits Times/ANN
