The latest high-profile shooting to rattle the nation in recent years occurred on Tuesday in a posh Bangkok mall, and Thai police have detained a young shooter suspected of killing two foreigners and injuring five more.
After gunfire at the Siam Paragon Mall, a significant retail and entertainment destination popular with visitors in Bangkok’s busy commercial center, hundreds of people, including children, screamed and ran into the streets.
According to the police, two ladies from China and Myanmar were slain, and five others were injured.
The alleged gunman, who is 14 years old and has been getting mental treatment, missed his prescribed medication on the day of the event, according to national police commander Torsak Sukvimol.
Torsak informed the media, “We have spoken to his parents. “The suspect claimed that he had received orders to kill others,”
Security officers led fleeing customers out of the mall and a busy road as it poured with rain. VA verified social media video depicted people running out of a ground-floor grocery while shouting as a gunshot can be heard.
“It took place in a matter of minutes. Shir Yahav, an Israeli citizen of 26 years old, was in a designer store when the shooting occurred. “We saw all the people run, run, run, and we didn’t understand what was happening,” he said.
“We heard six or seven shots, maybe more.” The event occurred a year after an ex-police officer killed 35 people, including 22 children at a daycare, in an hours-long attack with a gun and a knife. Gun violence and gun ownership are both frequent in Thailand. He later killed himself at home with a gun.
A soldier went on a shooting rampage across the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima in 2020, leaving at least 29 people dead and 57 injured.
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Emergency services posted pictures showing a policeman handcuffing a person face down on the ground and a policeman grabbing a firearm.
Authorities previously shared a blurry photo of the alleged shooter holding an unidentified dark item while sporting glasses, khaki cargo trousers, and a baseball cap.
The event occurs as the country’s new administration works to encourage tourism in one of Asia’s most popular vacation destinations, notably by granting Chinese nationals visa-free admission. Siam Paragon, Thailand’s most well-known mall, draws hordes of local and international customers daily to its high-end boutiques, aquarium, movie theater, and renowned food court eating. In 2013, Instagram named Siam Paragon the world’s most photographed location.
A restaurant employee named Susinee claimed she and her coworkers fled when they heard gunshots.
Standing with a dozen coworkers, she continued, “We just ran out.” According to police, mall employees have undergone training on how to handle active shooters.
The mall said that it had swiftly evacuated customers and employees, emphasizing that safety was of the highest priority. In a statement, Siam Paragon said it wanted to “express our deep apologies for the unexpected event” and that the mall will reopen on Wednesday.
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