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Thailand: Police arrest teen over deadly mall shooting

October 3, 2023

At least two people have been killed during a shooting at a shopping mall in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. Police said a 14-year-old suspect had been arrested.

https://p.dw.com/p/4X4R2
Ambulances wait outside an exit of the Siam Paragon Mall in Bangkok
Hundreds of shoppers fled after gunshots were heard insideImage: Tian Macleod Ji/AP Photo/picture alliance

Police in Thailand were reported to have arrested a suspected teenage gunman on Tuesday after two people were killed in a shopping mall shooting in Bangkok.

Police spokesman Archayon Kraithong said nearby officers had been ordered to secure the scene at the Siam Paragon mall, and that further details would be shared as soon as possible. The suspect was 14 years old, police said.

The victims were two women, one from China and one from Myanmar, according to police. Earlier reports had said that three people had been killed. Five others were wounded.

Two dead after shooting at Bangkok shopping mall

What we know so far

Footage showed dozens of police vehicles and ambulances outside one of the shopping center's main entrances. As well as the fatalities, at least four people were reported to have been injured.  

Hundreds of shoppers fled the mall, in the center of Bangkok, upon hearing the gunshots.

A witness described the scene at the mall to French news agency AFP.

"At around 4:30 pm, I heard loud gun noises, continuously, about 10 times," Thanpawasit Singthongkham, 31, who works at a Japanese restaurant in the mall, told AFP.

"Then the department store announced that there was a shooting. The emergency sign was turned on and everyone ran to get out."

Workers gather near the Siam Paragon shopping mall after an evacuation in Bangkok, Thailand
The Siam Paragon mall is a popular hotspot for both tourists and localsImage: Sakchai Lalit/AP/picture alliance

Suspect said voices told him to shoot

An image of a police officer apprehending and handcuffing an individual lying face down on the floor was circulated by emergency services.

National Police Chief Torsak Sukwimol said the boy was too confused to undergo questioning.

"He is a mental patient at Rajavithi Hospital and he has not been taking his medication," Torsak said. "He said it was like there was another him telling him who to shoot."

Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau had earlier posted a grainy image on social media of the suspected shooter dressed in khaki cargo pants and a baseball cap.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he was monitoring the situation closely.

"What I care about most right now is the safety of all citizens," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "I ask all workers to monitor the situation, and may everyone be safe."

Gun violence is not uncommon in Thailand. The incident comes days before the country marks the anniversary of a gun and knife attack at a rural daycare center that killed 36 people.

rc/kb (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Editor's note: The stated number of deaths in this article has been revised down since publication, with emergency services in Thailand having earlier said that three people were killed.