14-Year-Old Suspected Gunman Arrested After Fatal Shooting at Bangkok Mall.
Bangkok, Thailand – A 14-year-old suspected gunman was apprehended by Thai police following a shooting incident that occurred at a luxury mall in the capital city of Bangkok on Tuesday.
Initial reports had suggested that three people were killed, but authorities later revised the death toll to one person while confirming several injuries.
Yuthana Srettanan, director of Erawan Emergency Centre, clarified the situation to reporters, stating, “It was initially reported that three were dead but actually only one person died.”
He further noted that six individuals had sustained gunshot wounds, with two of them in critical condition.
The Metropolitan Police Detective Department, in a Facebook post, confirmed the arrest of a 14-year-old suspect in connection with the incident at the Siam Paragon Mall. The teenage suspect was taken into custody and is currently being questioned by authorities.
Emergency services shared an image showing a police officer apprehending and handcuffing an individual who was lying face down on the floor.
Additionally, the Central Investigation Bureau posted a grainy image on its Facebook page, identifying the person in khaki cargo pants and a baseball cap as the suspected gunman.
Unverified videos circulating on social media captured the chaotic scenes as people, including children, rushed to exit the Siam Paragon Mall while security personnel guided them to safety.
In one of the videos, individuals sought refuge in a darkened room within a restaurant, while live television broadcasts displayed long lines of vehicles outside the mall amid torrential rain.
Thailand has witnessed instances of gun violence in the past. In 2022, an ex-police officer committed a gruesome act by killing 22 children in a nursery during a gun-and-knife attack. In 2020, a soldier carried out a shooting spree that claimed the lives of at least 29 people and left 57 wounded, spanning four locations in and around the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed deep concern over the incident and has ordered a thorough police investigation into the matter.
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