The female principal of a school in southern Thailand was shot dead and at least two students were injured following a siege by a teen gunman, police said.
The suspect, whose age has been stated to be between 17 and 19, entered the Phatong Prathankiriwat School in Hat Yai district “in an agitated state while carrying a gun” on Wednesday shortly before 5pm local time and opened fire, the provincial government said in a statement.
He took the female principal of the school, identified as Sasiphat Sinsamosorn, hostage and shot her in the chest and torso, according to Thailand’s ministry of public health.
Officials said the suspect used a firearm that had been stolen from a police officer.
Emergency services rushed Sasiphat to the hospital, where she underwent surgery. Thailand’s health ministry said she died at about 2am on Thursday from severe internal injuries and heavy blood loss.
A female student was also shot during the incident, according to the ministry, while another student was injured after jumping from a building in panic.
Authorities have not released further details about the injured girl’s condition.
Police surrounded the campus after reports of gunfire, leaving students and teachers trapped inside classrooms while the building was locked down.
The suspect, who Reuters described as a 17 year old with a sister studying at the same school, later surrendered following a standoff lasting about two hours and was taken into custody. He was shot and wounded and then captured, according to the Central Investigation Bureau, The Bangkok Post reported.
The Nation Thailand, however, reported that the assailant was 19 years old. According to Reuters, he has a history of substance abuse and was discharged from a psychiatric hospital in December.
Police said they were first called to reports of a man allegedly under the influence of drugs acting violently and assaulting people in Ban Phru on Wednesday, The Nation reported. When officers tried to control him, he allegedly chased them with an axe, damaged a police vehicle, stole a 9mm handgun and fled on a motorcycle before going to the school.
The Bangkok Post quoted some witnesses as reporting that the assailant was seeking a teacher who had previously disciplined his sister. According to the reports, he had threatened violence if the teacher refused to meet him. However, these claims could not be independently verified. Police have not shared any more information about the assailant or his motive.
In a message posted on Facebook, the school paid tribute to Sasiphat, writing: “Although we have lost you, the memories and the goodness you left behind will remain in our hearts forever.”
Gun violence is relatively common in Thailand, where both legal and illegal firearms are widespread. The country has seen several high-profile attacks in recent years, including a shooting at a Bangkok food market last year that left five people dead, and a 2023 mall shooting carried out by a teenage gunman.
In 2022, a former police officer killed at least 37 people, most of them children, in one of Thailand’s deadliest mass shootings.
