A 14-year-old student shot and killed his grandparents at home before opening fire at a secondary school outside Bangkok on Friday, according to police.
Teenager Kills Grandparents and Opens Fire at School Near Bangkok
Conflicting casualty numbers were reported following the attack, with police and news agencies reporting varying totals. According to the news agency AFP cited by Livemint, six people were killed—including three students and three teachers. Other reports stated that at least five people died at the school, all of whom were teachers and staff, alongside the teenage shooter. Education Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong told Reuters that both teachers and students were among the dead. Police stated that 23 people were wounded in the incident.
Royal Thai Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan told news broadcaster Channel 3 that the shooter was hospitalized in a critical condition, though emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith described finding the 14-year-old collapsed with a head wound on an upper floor and initiating CPR after detecting a pulse. The suspect’s exact condition remained unverified amid conflicting reports.
Response and Emergency Operations at the Scene
Emergency responders and security forces rushed to the campus on the northwestern outskirts of the capital as the shooting unfolded. Kiatikhun Verapongpradith, a 47-year-old emergency worker, stated that his team treated students with injuries to the back, chest, and arms. Responders located a male teacher dead on an upper floor and a female teacher suffering from chest and arm wounds in another room.
Photographs circulated by emergency workers showed wounded individuals being loaded onto ambulances and treated by medics, while teachers hugged and cried outside. Witnesses described hearing rapid gunfire that was initially mistaken for firecrackers. An 18-year-old student recounted hearing multiple rounds before a brief pause and resumption of shots. Another witness reported that students took shelter inside classrooms until police officers knocked on doors and helped them evacuate.
According to district authorities, the school had an enrollment of approximately 3,100 students and 147 teachers during the 2025 academic year. Deputy Education Minister Akkharanan Kannakittinan stated that he was coordinating efforts to provide assistance to the victims and their families.
Motive and Investigation Into the Weapon Used
Investigators said the motive behind the attack remains under investigation. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that the teenager was “under stress” related to his schooling and had planned the assault. Police interrogated a close friend of the suspect who indicated the teenager had been under stress and showed an interest in the FBI and guns. Classmate Purin Khumchoo described the shooter as a junior who was perceived as a troubled kid and reportedly bullied by other students.
Police stated that the 14-year-old fired at least 26 bullets using a firearm that belonged to his grandfather, with an additional 34 rounds discovered at the scene. The weapon was believed to have been taken from a member of the student’s family.
Prime Minister Anutin expressed condolences, called the incident a terrible tragedy, and vowed to introduce a new firearms control law.
Broader Context of Gun Violence in Thailand
Friday’s violence marks the second school shooting in Thailand this year, following an incident in February in the southern Hat Yai district where a teacher died and a student was injured.
Thailand maintains the highest level of civilian gun ownership in Southeast Asia by a wide margin.
The country has experienced several high-profile mass casualty incidents in recent years:
- 2022: A sacked former policeman killed 36 people, including his wife, son, and 22 children at a daycare center, in a gun-and-knife attack in the northeast.
- 2020: A soldier killed 29 people during a shooting rampage in Nakhon Ratchasima that included a shopping mall.
- 2023: A 14-year-old killed two people and wounded five others at a luxury Bangkok shopping center using a modified handgun police said was likely purchased online.
- 2025: A gunman killed five people at a Bangkok market before dying by suicide.
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