Following the shooting binge inside the Siam Paragon shopping mall on Tuesday evening that left two people dead and five others injured, a 14-year-old believe has been charged with five matters, including death.
Pol Maj Gen Nakharin Sukhonthawit, the captain of Metropolitan Police Division 6, announced on Wednesday that the child had already been charged with five offenses: premeditated murder, attempted death; unlawful possession of a rifle and ammunition; and unlawful carrying and firing shots in public.
Later, additional fees might be brought, according to Pol Maj Gen Nakharin.
Whether the teen’s kids should be held accountable under the Child Protection Act was another matter that authorities were debating.
He claimed that a BB gun and numerous rounds of ammunition were discovered after searching the suspect’s chamber at his home in the Lak Song neighborhood. That would be a separate case for authorities.
The 14-year-old suspect was taken by Pathumwan authorities to the Central Juvenile and Family Court to be questioned further in front of officers and to request additional custody.
The young man was taken into custody shortly after a fresh shooter went on the rampage inside the Siam Paragon shopping center in Bangkok’s Pathumwan city just before Tuesday nighttime peak hours. Five people were injured, and two foreign women — one from China and the other from Myanmar — were killed. Customers panicked and ran from the store.
The younger suspect had received treatment at The Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, also known as the children’s hospital, around a month prior, according to director-general Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn of the Department of Medical Services. He declined to provide any additional information, citing individual confidentiality. He continued,” The child might have also sought care at other institutions.”
According to reports, the suspect had formerly received treatment for mental illnesses at Rajavithi Hospital, to which Dr. Thongchai was responding. & nbsp,
Following the plaza shooting, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin vowed” protective measures” on Wednesday.
After joining in on a minute of silence at the store, he said,” I am assured Siam Paragon and state officials did their best to minimize the casualties and destruction.” He sent the people of the murdered women his administration’s condolences.
” Let this be the single instance of it.” Without providing any specifics, he continued,” My government did give priority to preventive measures.
Earlier commitments- & nbsp,,
The attack’s weapon, according to associate federal police chief Pol Lt Gen Samran Nuanma, was a pistol designed to flames blanks.
However, he added,” The chamber was modified for exist shooting.” ” To handle the use of firearms, we did improve regulations and laws.”
Yet, despite repeated assurances that gun laws would be tightened in the past, tragedies still occur.
The Siam Paragon shooting happened just one year after the slaughter that killed 36 people, the majority of whom were children, on October 6, 2022, at a child care facility in andnbsp, Nong Bua Lamphu state. & nbsp, A former soldier killed 29 people in a rampage in Nakhon Ratchasima in 2020, which culminated in the shootings.
According to one estimate, Thailand has 10 million guns in use — one for every seven people — and one of the highest rates of ownership in the area. Numerous handguns are illegally imported into the nation, but academic and former police officer Kritsanapong Phutrakul claimed that online sales were starting to cause issues.
He claimed that very few police officers possess the skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to monitor the online weapons business.