A 14-year-old boy allegedly killed his grandparents before heading to his school in Thailand and opening fire in a horrifying attack that left multiple teachers dead and more than 20 people hospitalized.
The bloodshed unfolded shortly after 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, according to reports citing Thai authorities.
Royal Thai Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan confirmed the shooting, while investigators worked to piece together what happened before and during the attack.
According to the BBC, authorities believe the 14-year-old first shot and killed his grandparents at the home where he lived before making his way to the school.
Early reports from local police indicated that seven people had died, including the suspected gunman, and that multiple others had been injured.
The reported death toll later rose.
Thailand’s health minister Pattana Promphat said five victims killed at the school were teachers, according to the BBC. Combined with the teenager’s grandparents and the suspected shooter himself, that brought the reported overall death toll to eight.
Students were also among those wounded.
Emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith, 47, told Reuters that rescuers treated students who suffered injuries to their chests, backs and arms.
Thailand’s Ministry of Health said 22 people were hospitalized following the shooting.
Earlier reports had indicated that 15 people were taken to hospitals, including two in critical condition. The Associated Press later reported that as many as nine people were believed to have suffered serious injuries, citing the health minister.
Police said the teenager used a 9mm firearm that investigators believe belonged to a family member.
According to the BBC, police said the gun belonged to the boy’s grandfather.
The teenager was also reportedly found carrying at least 34 additional rounds of ammunition.
Terrified students scrambled for safety as gunfire erupted across the school.
One witness described students hiding inside a classroom after hearing shots coming from another building. Police later helped them evacuate.
An eighth-grade girl told the BBC she was standing near one of her teachers when the teacher was shot.
“I couldn’t see anything but a [cloud] of dust,” she recalled.
She said the gunman appeared to move “from room to room” as the attack unfolded.
“My desk was very close to the teacher,” the student said. “I had to climb over the school fence to escape with other friends.”
Another teacher, 31, said he heard gunfire coming from a building used by students in grades seven through nine.
“Then I saw pupils run out, screaming,” he told the BBC. “I asked them what was going on. They said, ‘There’s a shooting!’”
The tragedy became even more personal when he learned one of the teachers killed was a longtime friend.
“One of teachers killed, a Thai-language teacher, was my friend. She was my age,” he said. “We went to this school together as students. Then we both became teachers at this school.”
Investigators are now examining the suspected gunman’s background and possible motive.
Thailand’s deputy interior minister Polapee Suwanchawee said evidence gathered so far suggested the teenager was an avid gamer and lived with his grandparents, according to the BBC.
Authorities said that after shooting his victims, the teenager turned the gun on himself.
He reportedly died while being transported to a hospital.
Thailand’s Ministry of Health offered its “deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and to all those injured in the incident.”
The ministry was contacted for additional information about the victims and their conditions.
Friday’s massacre comes just months after another school shooting in Thailand.
In February, a 17-year-old allegedly stole a police gun and opened fire at a public high school in southern Thailand, according to the Associated Press. One person was killed and two others were injured in that attack.
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