At least 35 people, including at least 22 children, were killed with guns and knives when a man attacked a day care center in Thailand on Thursday. The attacker killed his family before committing suicide, police in Nong Phua Lambu province (north) said Thursday.
The 34-year-old gunman, armed with a rifle, a pistol and a knife, opened fire at the nursery in Nha Klang, in the north of the country, around 12:30pm local time (8:30am in Switzerland). He then fled in a car, killing several passers-by before killing his wife and son. 12 others were injured, 3 of them critically.
According to a local official, about thirty children were on the premises of the orphanage when the shooter appeared. Youngsters between the ages of two and three are affected by the tragedy.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha offered his condolences to the families of the victims and ordered an investigation after the “brutal” killings.
>> Details at 12:30 PM:
The gunman, who lives near the nursery, was fired as a police sergeant in June due to drug problems, police chief Damrongchak Kitiprabat said at a press conference. “He was expected at a hearing tomorrow (Friday) on his drug problem”.
Earlier shooting in 2020
In February 2020, an army officer opened fire at a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killing 29 people.
The shooter, a 31-year-old chief warrant officer, was shot and killed by law enforcement after his nearly 17-hour killing spree. He acted after an argument with his superior.
>> Read about it: In Thailand, 27 people, including the attacker, were killed in an “unprecedented” massacre
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