A former police sergeant strikes a Thai day care center and kills 36 kids
A former police officer facing a narcotics charge opened fire on a day care center in Thailand on Thursday, killing scores of kids and teachers before fleeing and shooting more people. At least 36 people were killed in the nation's bloodiest rampage in history.
The offender, who had been fired earlier this year, committed suicide after murdering his wife and child at home.
First responders' photos revealed the school's floor filled with the tiny bodies of children still on their blankets, where they had been napping in the afternoon. Images showed slashes across their faces, gunshot wounds to their heads, and pools of blood.
According to a teacher, the perpetrator stepped out of a car and quickly shot a man enjoying lunch outside before firing more shots. The teacher had an opportunity to run inside when the attacker halted to reload.
"I ran to the back since the kids were sleeping," the young woman, who did not disclose her name, choked back her remarks. "They were two or three years old."
According to another witness, the day care center's personnel had shut the door, but the gunman shot his way in.
"The teacher who died had a child in her arms," a witness who did not want to be identified told Thailand's Kom Chad Luek television. "I didn't imagine he'd kill children, but he shot at and through the door."
According to police spokeswoman Archayon Kraithong, at least ten persons were injured, with six badly injured.
The attack occurred in the remote town of Uthai Sawan in Thailand's northeastern province of Nongbua Lamphu, one of the poorest sections of the country.
Rescuers rushed into the single-story structure, past a smashed glass front door, with drops of blood evident on the ground in the foyer, according to a video filmed by a first responder on the site.
Outside the building, frightened family members could be heard wailing in footage shared online following the attack. One photograph showed a blood-splattered floor with sleeping mats scattered around the room. The walls were covered with alphabet pictures and other bright decorations.
Panya Kamrap, a 34-year-old former police officer, was identified as the attacker by authorities. In an interview, Police Maj. Gen. Paisal Luesomboon told PPTV that he was fired from the force earlier this year due to the narcotics conviction.
Thai police commander Gen. Dumrongsak Kittiprapas said in a Facebook post that the guy, who had been a sergeant, was due in court Friday for a hearing in the methamphetamine case, and surmised that he may have selected the day care center because it was close to his home.
Dumrongsak previously told reporters that the main weapon used was a 9mm handgun purchased by the individual himself. Paisal also claimed to have a firearm and a knife.
Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who intended to visit the area on Friday, informed reporters that the former officer was having personal troubles.
"This should not have happened," he stated. "I am heartbroken for the victims and their families."
Police have not released an official death toll, however they have stated that at least 22 children and two adults were killed at the day care. Another two children were slain somewhere.
Some family members of those slain in the incident remained at the scene late into the evening. According to Thai TBS television, mental health specialists sat with them, attempting to provide consolation.
Firearm-related deaths in Thailand are significantly fewer than in nations such as the United States and Brazil, but significantly higher than in Japan and Singapore, both of which have tight gun-control regulations. In 2019, the rate of firearm-related deaths was approximately 4 per 100,000, compared to over 11 per 100,000 in the United States and roughly 23 per 100,000 in Brazil.
Mass shootings are uncommon but not unheard of in Thailand, which has one of the highest civilian gun ownership rates in Asia, with 15.1 firearms per 100 people, compared to 0.3 in Singapore and 0.25 in Japan. According to a 2017 poll by Australia's GunPolicy.org nonprofit group, this is still significantly lower than the US average of 120.5 per 100 persons.
The previous worst mass shooting in the country was in 2020, when a disgruntled soldier opened fire in and around a mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, killing 29 people and holding off security officers for 16 hours before being killed by them.
In that attack, about 60 people were injured. Its death toll eclipsed that of the previous worst civilian attack, a 2015 blast at a Bangkok shrine that killed 20 people. Human traffickers allegedly carried it out in retribution for a crackdown on their network.
Last month, a clerk at Thailand's Army War College in Bangkok opened fire on coworkers, killing two and injuring another before being apprehended.
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SOURCE: yahoo
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