By South China Morning Post | Created at 2026-08-09 15:52:01 | Updated at 2026-08-09 16:01:37
35 minutes ago
The Thai teen behind a deadly school shooting outside Bangkok had an air gun confiscated by a teacher last year and had watched violent content online, police said on Sunday, as the government promised new safety protocols for schools.
As investigations continued into Friday’s rampage, where a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot dead his grandparents at home before killing another six people at his school before turning the gun on himself, police said the boy had used social media to learn how to use a firearm.
“According to witness interviews, the perpetrator had begun showing interest in studying the use of firearms for some time, about one to two years,” Atthapol Anusit, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 1, told reporters.
The boy’s mother, however, said she’d seen no signs of trouble. “He was a bright, cheerful person,” she said, asking that her name not be used. “He behaved normally.” She said she had asked him if he’d ever been bullied. “He always said no, there was nothing unusual.”
Atthapol, who said police had so far interviewed 17 witnesses, said a knife had also been found in the boy’s bag and other evidence found at the crime scenes included a firearm, spent cartridge cases, and a personal computer.
“After examining the PC, it was found that the child had watched social media content involving violence,” the deputy commissioner said, but added there was no evidence yet that he had practised shooting.
