A horrific mass shooting that began at a private residence and spilled over into a prestigious Bangkok-area secondary school has left at least seven people dead, including the 14-year-old perpetrator, and 22 others injured, Thai national authorities confirmed this week.
According to Thailand’s Minister of Public Health, the teenage shooter first carried out a double homicide at his home, fatally shooting his grandparents before traveling to the Debsirin School Nonthaburi campus, a branch of one of Thailand’s most elite secondary education institutions, located on the northern outskirts of the capital. Once inside the school grounds, the attacker opened fire on faculty and staff, killing five teachers before turning the gun on himself to take his own life.
Of the 22 people wounded in the rampage, nine remain in critical, life-threatening condition as of the latest official update. Local law enforcement was rapidly dispatched to the campus as the active shooting unfolded, with emergency officials issuing urgent public warnings urging nearby residents to avoid the area and instructing people already trapped inside the school building to find secure hiding spots and wait for first responder extraction. At one point during the response, police updated the public via social media that the shooter had been located inside the school’s computer lab.
Founded in central Bangkok in 1885, Debsirin School ranks among the most prestigious secondary learning institutions in Thailand, with a sprawling network of regional branches across the country. Its alumni roster includes many of Thailand’s most prominent public figures, spanning senior diplomats, professional athletes, and multiple former national prime ministers.
Witnesses who managed to escape the campus described chaotic, terrifying scenes as the shooter moved methodically from classroom to classroom. A seventh-grade student who fled the building spoke to the BBC about the moment the attacker reached her classroom, saying he shot the teacher standing just inside the doorway before she could escape and hide, leaving her unable to see further violence unfolding.
Another student survivor told Reuters that he initially mistook the repeated gunfire for common fireworks, or the loud sound of someone banging a heavy object against a wall. “There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again,” he recalled of the terrifying incident.
Investigators later confirmed that the 9mm handgun used by the shooter was owned by his grandfather, a retired teacher, confirming the weapon was legally registered to the family member.
Photos from the scene show terrified students and staff fleeing the campus in panic, while those who waited outside for updates on missing peers and loved ones appeared visibly distraught in the aftermath. In response to the violence, all other schools within the immediate vicinity canceled remaining classes for the day and arranged for students to return home early to their families.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul released an official statement extending his deepest condolences to the families of all victims of the tragedy. He emphasized that the mass shooting “shouldn’t have happened,” noting that the incident underscores the government’s rationale for strict restrictions on civilian gun ownership. “I don’t just feel sorry for the victims but I feel sorry that this happened. How can this happen in our country,” the prime minister said.
Thailand enforces formal strict gun control legislation on paper, with illegal firearm possession carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. However, consistent, widespread enforcement of these laws has long been a persistent challenge for national authorities. The country has one of the highest rates of civilian gun ownership in all of Southeast Asia, with independent estimates indicating that nearly 40 percent of all guns held by civilians in Thailand are unregistered and held illegally.