At least 35 people, including children, were tragically massacred on Thursday at a children’s daycare center in northeast Thailand by a man carrying a rifle and a knife, according to authorities. The gunman later went home and killed his wife and child before killing himself.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has ordered an immediate investigation into the “horrifying” incident.
Prayut posted on his official Facebook page that he had instructed the national police head to “fast-track an investigation” and expressed his “deepest sadness and sympathies to the families of the dead and injured.”
At least 35 persons have died as a result of the shooting
After opening fire on the daycare center in NongBuaLamPhu province at around 12:30 pm (0530GMT), the assailant fled the scene in a car, according to the Thai police. The perpetrator was carrying a shotgun, a pistol, and a knife.
At least 35 persons have died as a result of the shooting, according to Anucha Burapachaisri, a spokesman for the Thai Prime Minister’s office.
The shooter was recognized by police colonel Jakkapat Vijitraithaya as Panya Khamrab. He was a police lieutenant colonel who was fired from the force for drug use last year. After the attacker fled the scene, a witness told AFP that he was driving erratically and attempted to ram his car into other vehicles on the road. “Two persons were hurt when the assailant crashed into a motorcycle. I rushed off quickly to avoid him, “She said.
She added that the attacker was well known for being a drug user in the neighborhood.
Jakkapat added that 23 youngsters, between the ages of two and three, were among the dead. The Thai police are requesting that no images or footage of the incident or the victims be posted on social media.
The massacre comes less than a month after a serving army officer fatally shot two colleagues at a military training base in Bangkok.
Despite the fact that Thailand has a high rate of gun ownership, mass shootings are extremely rare.