Thailand teen killed grandparents before shooting teachers at school – What we know about suspect
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Thailand teen killed grandparents before shooting teachers at school – What we know about suspect")
People console the wife of a teacher who was killed in a school shooting in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, north of Thailand's capital Bangkok, on August 7, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
A 14-year-old in Thailand allegedly killed his grandparents before opening fire at his school in Nonthaburi, where at least five teachers were killed. The teen later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Before opening fire at the school in Thailand, where several people were fatally shot, the teenager killed his grandparents at his home on the outskirts of the capital, Bangkok. At least six people, including students and teachers, were killed at the school. The incident happened in Nonthaburi province at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School. Thailand’s Health Ministry confirmed that give teachers were killed at the school.
According to the police, the teen first shot dead his grandparents using his grandfather’s handgun. He then went to a secondary school, where he opened fire at students and teachers. Chaos erupted at the school as parents raced to pick up their children and students and staff comforted each other. More than 30 people were injured in the incident, nine of whom were “severely injured”.
Emergency responders were rushed to the spot. An investigation is underway into the incident. AFP reported that a dozen mental health workers also arrived at the school.
What we know about the shooter
The shooter was identified as a ninth-grade student of the school and also died in the incident. According to a BBC report, the suspect shot himself and died on the way to the hospital. The motive behind his actions has not been determined yet.
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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said that the teen was “under stress” and had “planned” the attack. He added that he still had “more than 30 bullets left” when he turned the gun on himself.
“Police interrogated his close friend who said the suspect had been under stress” related to his schooling, Anutin told reporters. “His actions also suggested that he had clearly planned (the shooting).”
The deputy interior minister said that the suspect was an avid gamer, according to the evidence gathered by the police from his residence. The 14-year-old lived with his grandparents. According to the school teachers, the boy was a “good kid with good study records” and was not known to be aggressive.
Students at the school described the suspect as a “troubled kid” who was interested in the FBI and guns. They also suggested he was bullied by other students at the school.
“He was my junior, but I had a feeling that he was a troubled kid. My group of friends who knew him said he was interested in the FBI and guns, and that he was bullied by many other students,” Purin Khumchoo, 17, told AFP outside his school. He was among the students who were nearly shot by the suspect.
“When I saw him aiming the gun at me, I thought he looked very professional, as if he had been trained for a long time.”
Thailand’s gun laws under scrutiny
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 10 million firearms in circulation, roughly one for every seven residents. Despite repeated government pledges to tighten gun control laws, shootings continue to occur.
In February, police shot and arrested a teenage student who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand, killing the principal and injuring two students.
The country’s deadliest recent mass shooting occurred in 2022, when a former police officer armed with a gun and a knife attacked a childcare centre in northeastern Thailand, killing 36 people, including 24 children.
