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Rampage at home and school
A 14-year-old student in Thailand killed at least five people and himself at a school outside Bangkok on Friday after fatally shooting his grandparents at their home earlier in the day, police said.
“fired at least 26 bullets using a gun that belonged to his grandfather”
Police said the teen fired at least 26 bullets using a gun that belonged to his grandfather, and an additional 34 rounds were found after the attack.
Students streamed out of the Debsirin Nonthaburi School on the capital's northwestern outskirts as the wounded were loaded onto ambulances, while teachers hugged each other and cried.
Emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith, 47, said his team treated students with injuries in the back, chest and arms and found a teacher dead on an upper floor of the school and a female teacher with chest and arm wounds.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters, "I'm sad for those who died and sad for something like this to happen in our country."
Conflicting counts, stress and planning
Police said five teachers were killed before the 14-year-old gunman turned the weapon on himself, and the BBC reported that the Prime Minister said the attack was "well prepared".
The Guardian described conflicting casualty figures and said at least 30 people were injured in the shooting, with at least nine believed to be severely wounded.
A 31-year-old teacher who asked not to be named told the BBC, "One of the teachers killed...was my friend."
An 18-year-old student described to Reuters that he initially thought there were firecrackers going off, saying, "I didn't think it was a gun at first."
Police spokesperson Lt.-Gen. Trairong Phophan told Reuters the suspected shooter was among the seven people killed at the school, while he also said 15 people were injured.
Gun control and school closures
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pledged to propose a new law to restrict the carrying of firearms by the public, and the BBC said he would introduce a new firearms control law.
“"under stress"”
The Guardian reported that the Debsirin secondary school said all classes would be suspended between 10 and 14 August, with staff instructed to work from home during that time.
The BBC also reported that the Prime Minister said the suspect was "under stress" and appeared to have planned the assault, while Reuters said authorities learned the gunman had suffered from stress related to his studies.
At the school, a 14-year-old shooter’s father told CNN, "My son was guilty … he hurt people," and the network reported that the gun was legally registered to his grandfather.
Bangyai Hospital, about 5 kilometers (roughly 3 miles) from the school, said 23 people were wounded, of whom 10 were in critical condition, with most suffering gunshot wounds.
