Thai pupil describes harrowing moment teacher was shot in front of her
The student says she had to climb over a school fence to flee the shooting which killed five teachers.
A Thai student has recounted the terrifying moment her teacher was fatally shot in front of her, as another described scaling a fence to escape the violence that erupted at a prestigious school near Bangkok.
On Friday morning, as the week's final classes were in session, a wave of panicked students streamed out of the Debsirin School in Nonthaburi, on the outskirts of the Thai capital. Inside, police reported, a 14-year-old boy had opened fire.
"I was standing in front of the teacher when she was shot," an eighth grader, still visibly shaken and in her uniform, told the BBC near the school gates, her mother by her side. "She was talking to me when [the gunman] showed up." She further explained how the shooter moved from room to room.
Police stated that the assailant killed five teachers and injured over a dozen individuals, including pupils, before taking his own life. Earlier, he had also shot his grandparents.
"I had to climb over the school fence to escape with other friends," the girl, whose name the BBC withheld, continued. Her mother added that the girl believed she might die, recalling her saying, "I thought I'd never see you again."
Just meters from the school gates, paramedics loaded the wounded into ambulances, rushing them to the hospital, while crowds gathered, hugging and weeping. An 18-year-old student informed Reuters that he initially mistook the sounds for firecrackers. "I didn't think it was a gun at first," he said. "There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again."
Authorities confirmed that the 14-year-old killed five teachers and that more than a dozen injuries have been reported. This incident marks Thailand's deadliest mass shooting in years and the second at a school this year. In February, an 18-year-old gunman shot a head teacher and a female student during a school siege in southern Thailand. Four years prior, a 34-year-old resident in the eastern Nong Bua Lamphu province killed 37 people, predominantly preschoolers, in a shooting and stabbing attack at a nursery.
These crimes have reignited discussions about gun control in the country. Despite restrictions on gun ownership in Thailand, individuals can still acquire firearms, both legally and illegally, with relative ease. Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Southeast Asia, and it remains unclear if authorities have taken significant steps to curb gun crime amidst growing concerns.
"This shouldn't have happened," the distressed boyfriend of one of the slain teachers told reporters, struggling to hold back tears.
The investigation is in its early stages, and police have not yet disclosed a motive. They have indicated that they believe the 9mm handgun used by the shooter belonged to his grandfather, who was a teacher, but have provided little other information.
Others are attempting to fill in the gaps. A teacher at the school described the shooter as a good student—not aggressive and with strong grades—while education authorities characterized him as an avid gamer. However, it is evident that authorities will face numerous questions in the coming days, many concerning the changes this crime must provoke.
An opposition leader has urged Thai authorities to review the nation's gun control measures. "An act of violence in an educational institution, which should be one of the safest places in our society, serves as a stark reminder for Thai society to seriously and systematically review gun control measures," Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People's Party, wrote in a Facebook post following the shooting. Seven people were killed after the Thai teen shooter opened fire at home and school.