Teenage gunman kills five staff members at Nonthaburi school before taking his own life
A 14‑year‑old student opened fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School on Friday, killing five staff members after murdering his grandparents, in a tragedy that has reignited calls for stricter gun control in Thailand.
Police say a 14‑year‑old pupil opened fire at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, north‑west of Bangkok, on Friday, killing five members of staff. The assault began at the teenager’s home, where he shot his grandparents.
Several other people were wounded before the gunman turned the weapon on himself inside the school grounds. Police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan told reporters the boy discharged 26 rounds and that officers later recovered a further 34 rounds of ammunition at the scene. The firearm is believed to have been taken from a relative, and the motive remains under investigation.
Thailand’s private gun ownership is among the highest in Southeast Asia, with an estimated ten million firearms in circulation – roughly one weapon for every seven citizens. Despite repeated promises to tighten regulations, a series of deadly attacks on schools and nurseries has continued in recent years.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul expressed his sorrow to the victims’ families and ordered full support for those affected. He said, "It's such a terrible incident. It should never have happened. How could this happen in our country?" while speaking to reporters at Government House in Bangkok.
Images from the scene showed students and parents consoling one another outside the school gates as emergency crews worked inside. Traffic around the area was severely disrupted as families arrived to collect children.
Pattern of school violence
The incident follows a February attack in southern Thailand, where a teenager used a stolen police 9mm pistol to kill a school principal and wound two pupils; the suspect had been released from psychiatric care weeks earlier. In 2022, a former policeman armed with a gun and knife killed 24 children and 12 adults at a nursery in northern Thailand, one of the deadliest massacres in the country’s history.
Public outrage after each tragedy has not translated into effective legislative change, and pressure is now mounting for the government to act on long‑promised firearm reforms. Analysts note that the easy availability of guns – often legally owned by relatives – is a recurring factor in Thai school shootings.
First reported by police spokesperson Trairong Piwpan.
