Student shooter dead after Thailand school attack near Bangkok leaves at least one more fatality, 15 wounded

BANGKOK, Aug 7 — A school shooting in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province near Bangkok left at least two people dead and 15 others injured today, according to local and international media reports citing police.

The suspected shooter, identified by police as a ninth-grade student at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, has died, Nonthaburi provincial police chief Dechrapee Kongdee was reported by Reuters as saying.

Ninth-grade students in Thailand are typically around 14 years old, although authorities have yet to provide further details about the suspect.

It was not immediately clear whether the suspected shooter was killed by police or took his own life.

The total number of fatalities and injured are still unclear at this point in time.

The attack took place at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, on the northwestern outskirts of Bangkok.

Thai police warned the public to stay away from the area while the situation was ongoing and urged anyone trapped inside the school to hide and wait for rescue teams.

“Who is still stuck there? Hide securely,” police said in a Facebook post, as officers responded to reports that the shooter was inside the school’s computer room.

Debsirin Nonthaburi is part of the prestigious Debsirin School network, whose original campus in Bangkok was founded by Thai King Chulalongkorn in 1885.

The school network has produced many prominent Thai figures, including diplomats, athletes and several former prime ministers.

The shooting adds to concerns over gun violence in Thailand, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in South-east Asia.

Thailand has witnessed several deadly shootings in recent years, including a 2022 nursery attack in the country’s north that killed 24 children and 12 adults.