A Thai teenager shot at least six people — including his grandparents — before killing himself at a school in the outskirts of Bangkok on Friday morning.
Police said 23 people were wounded in the murderous attack, the latest in a string of high-profile shootings in recent years in Thailand.
The Debsirin Nonthaburi School, located at the northwestern outskirts of the Thai capital was the center of what it is being described by international outlets as the worst mass killing in the Asian country since 2022 after a 14-year-old teenager shot his grandparents, school teachers, and students.
Armed police walk through the school premises after a shooting in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, north of Thailand’s capital Bangkok, on August 7, 2026. (Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP via Getty Images)
The BBC reports that shots were heard just after 10:00 a.m. (03:00 BST). The student reportedly opened fire on teachers and fellow students before taking his own life.
AFP, citing information from Thai police officers, reports that the shooter first killed his own grandparents using his grandfather’s handgun. Then, he went to the school and killed three teachers, and three students before taking his own life. The shooter reportedly died from his wounds on the way to the hospital.
Per the BBC, at least 15 individuals were left injured, including two in critical condition. A motive behind the shooting has not been established by Thai authorities at press time.
A look at where the Bangkok shooting tragedy took place. (Elif Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
National police chief police general Kittiratt Phanphet reportedly detailed on Friday morning that forensic officers have found the gunman’s shots were “quite accurate,” with several hitting the vital spots on the body.
A seventh-grade student at the school spoke with the BBC after she fled the building. The student explained that she was in her classroom when she saw the shooter “walking from room to room” before he shot the teacher standing in front of her classroom.
A 31 year-old teacher, who spoke to the BBC and asked not to be named, said that one of the teachers killed was a Thai language teacher and a friend of him.
“She was my age. We went to this school together as students. Then we both became teachers at this school,” the teacher reportedly said.
A person close to one of the victims react following a shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, Thailand on August 7, 2026. (Photo by Valeria Mongelli/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Per Reuters, the shooter fired at least 26 bullets, and was found by police officers with 34 additional rounds.
“I didn’t think it was a gun at first,” an 18 year-old student told Reuters. “There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again.”
Friday’s school shooting is the second such incident since February. At the time, a 17 year-old teenager used a stolen firearm to wound a teacher and student.