Thailand School Shooting Leaves Seven Dead, Including Perpetrator

A devastating school shooting occurred in Thailand on Friday, August 7, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people, including the gunman. The incident took place at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School, located on the northwestern outskirts of Bangkok. According to a national police official, a student opened fire at the school before turning the gun on himself. Emergency workers shared photos showing students fleeing the scene, while the wounded were being loaded into ambulances. Teachers were also seen hugging each other and crying. One 18-year-old student recounted his experience, stating that he initially thought the gunshots were firecrackers or someone banging an object. '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.' Lt. Col. Trirong Phophan, a spokesman for the National Police, confirmed that the suspected shooter was among the seven people killed. Fifteen people were injured in the incident, he added. Education Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong reported that both teachers and students were among the deceased. The perpetrator was identified as a student by the police. Emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith, 47, described arriving at the scene as the shooting was ongoing and his team treating students with injuries in the back, chest, and arms. They found a male teacher lying dead on an upper floor of the school and a female teacher with wounds in her chest and arm in another room. 'We gave CPR for about 30 minutes and rushed her to the hospital as we could not get her heart rate up, but we tried our best,' he said. Deputy Education Minister Akkharanan Kannakittinan stated that he was coordinating to provide assistance. This incident marks the second school shooting in Thailand this year, following a teacher's death and a student's injury in the south of the country in February.