Thai Teen Behind Deadly School Shooting Consumed Violent Online Content, Police Say

The Thai teen behind a deadly school shooting outside Bangkok had an air gun confiscated by a teacher last year and was consuming violent online content, according to police.

"According to witness interviews, the perpetrator had begun showing interest in studying the use of firearms for some time, about one to two years," said Atthapol Anusit, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 1.

He said a teacher had confiscated a BB gun, a type of air gun, that the boy took to school last year.

Mr Atthapol said police had so far interviewed 17 witnesses, revealing a knife had also been found in the boy's bag, and other evidence found at the crime scenes included a firearm, spent cartridge cases, and a personal computer.

"After examining the PC, it was found that the child had watched social media content involving violence," the deputy commissioner said, adding there was no evidence yet that he had practised shooting.

The Thai Ministry of Education said it would develop new safety protocols over the next three months, including mental health screenings and a system to refer at-risk people to specialists, drills for emergency response plans, a drive to stamp out bullying and better detection to stop items from being taken into schools.

Lives claimed in shooting

The shooting claimed the lives of one student, three teachers and two school officials at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province north-west of the Thai capital.

The 14-year-old suspect appeared to have killed his two grandparents at his family home earlier in the morning. He was confirmed dead after turning the gun on himself.

The Thai Health Ministry said a 12-year-old girl had died in hospital. The school had posted a message on Facebook on Friday seeking blood donations for two students, including the girl, who was in seventh grade.

Fourteen people remain in hospital, of whom seven remain in critical condition. Most of those wounded were between 12 and 14 years old.

Students barricaded classrooms

"I heard multiple gunshots and felt like we weren't going to survive," 14-year-old Khim, who asked to be only identified by her nickname, told Reuters on Saturday, describing how her classmates moved desks to block a door, turned off the lights and huddled together near the classroom windows.

Her mother messaged her to warn about the shooter as she was trapped inside her classroom.

Over the shooting's approximately 40 minutes, photographs of the alleged shooter stalking around the school circulated through student chat groups.

"Then, I heard a bang that was extremely loud. It felt like it was right next to my ear," said Khim, describing the terror that descended on the classroom as she realised that the gunman was only a few doors down the corridor.

"I didn't know if the shooter was shooting selectively. I didn't know if he wanted to shoot the whole school."

Khim's class received instructions to evacuate as police secured parts of the school — but the shooter had moved on to the next building, where Khim's older sister was still hiding.

"Count the shots to see if he's out," Khim's mother Kwan — who also asked to be identified by a nickname — told her elder daughter over the phone.

She had guessed the shooter was using a handgun, which would not hold more than 20 rounds.

Police said the alleged shooter had used at least 26 bullets. Another 34 rounds were found in his possession.

As the sound "kept getting closer and closer", Kwan called an emergency hotline, and the operator told her a specialised police unit had arrived at the school.

"I told them, 'Right now, I am on speakerphone with my child. He is on the second floor, clearing rooms one by one from the right side,'" Kwan said.

Some hours later, the family were reunited at their home in suburban Bangkok, not far from the school.

"When we are together, we fight all the time," Khim said of her elder sibling.

"But seeing her this time, I've never loved her this much before."