A 14-year-old teenager suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at a high-end shopping centre in Bangkok, Thailand, will be charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, and illegal firearms possession, among other offenses, according to the police. The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, is scheduled to appear in a juvenile court later today. Police have encountered difficulties in communicating with the teenager, who appeared to have suffered a psychological breakdown.
The shooting occurred close to peak hour on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of two women from China and Myanmar, and injuries to five others, including two foreigners and three Thai nationals. The teenager was apprehended without harm after he voluntarily put down his modified handgun, which had been altered to fire live ammunition instead of blanks. Reports indicate that the suspect, a student at a prominent private school, had not taken his prescribed medication earlier in the day.
Authorities are investigating the teenager’s background and plan to interview his online gaming friends to gain insights into his mental state. National Police Chief Torsak Sukvimol described the suspect as fitting the profile of an active shooter and stated that the teenager claimed to have heard voices instructing him to shoot.
The shooting took place at Siam Paragon, Thailand’s renowned high-end shopping mall, which attracts numerous domestic and foreign shoppers daily. Despite the incident, local news sources reported that visitors continued to walk through metal detectors without being thoroughly checked the day after the shooting.
