A 17-year-old gunman wounded a teacher and a student at Patongprathankiriwat School in Hat Yai district, Songkhla Province, before being apprehended by authorities, a provincial government statement confirmed.
The suspect, reportedly agitated, entered the school where his sister is a student. Police commander Teerasak Chaiyotha said the motive for the attack remains unclear.
A female teacher sustained critical injuries and underwent surgery, currently remaining in intensive care. A teenage girl was shot in the waist but is now in stable condition.
Provincial governor Ratthasart Chidchoo revealed that the suspect had attacked a police officer and stolen his firearm. The teenager also has a history of substance abuse and had been discharged from a psychiatric hospital in December.
Police released a photograph showing the barefoot suspect, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, pinned to the ground by armed officers. Video footage obtained by Reuters shows tactical police storming the three-storey school building as gunfire erupted, while other clips show students fleeing down staircases as officers shouted instructions.
Gun violence in schools is a recurring concern in Thailand. In 2002, a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, in a combined gun-and-knife attack at a nursery in the country’s east.
