Thai Soldier Kills 29 in Shooting Spree

The perpetrator of the mass shooting, a member of Thailand’s army, killed three officers and stole a military vehicle and weapons. (Wikimedia Commons)

A Thai soldier went on a shooting spree on February 8, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others. The gunman, who authorities have identified as Army Sub-Lieutenant Jakrapanth Thomma, first killed three officers at a military site before stealing a military vehicle and weapons and proceeding to attack civilians at the Terminal 21 shopping mall.

The shooting took place in Nakhon Ratchasima, a city 150 miles northeast of Bangkok. Police tried to stop the soldier multiple times, even bringing his mother to the shopping mall to try to convince him to turn himself in. She was unable to enter the mall and talk to her son as hundreds were trapped inside for hours. She says that her son struggled with mental illness. In a video, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha responded to the tragedy, saying, “We have to look at mental health.”

Police shot the gunman at about 9:00 a.m. on February 8, leaving one officer dead and three others injured. The police killed the soldier near storage refrigerators in the mall, ending the 18-hour rampage. Victims trapped inside sent messages that the oxygen level was low, prompting action from police. Later, hundreds of people attended a vigil for the victims of the atrocity. Members of the community are mourning as the attack shocked the country, where mass killings are rare.

Throughout the attack, the soldier posted updates on Facebook, with statements such as “death is inevitable for everyone.” Facebook has since removed his account. Dozens of victims used social media while trapped in the mall to communicate with the outside world and try to reach safety, including posting videos where gunshots can be heard in the background.

Chan-o-cha said that a personal dispute with a senior officer at a military site over a land-selling fee initiated the gunman’s attack. He argued with his superior, then shot and killed him, taking his firearm and several others.

In spite of high rates of gun ownership in Thailand, mass shootings are rare. Prospective owners state reasons for wanting to own a gun, such as self-defense or hunting. Military firearms typically have a selector switch between semiautomatic and automatic fire. The gunman was carrying at least two rifles, and an M60 machine gun.

The gunman’s attack follows a troubling pattern of lone gunmen initiating massacres while filming and posting updates to social media. Social media websites have increasingly become platforms for shooters to propagate violent rhetoric before and during their attacks.