Thailand shooter kills dozens at preschool

A gunman in Thailand entered a daycare center and killed 24 children and two teachers before driving home as he continued shooting. He was carrying a handgun, shotgun, and knife, police said. He shot seven more people before he got home, killed his wife and stepchild, and then shot himself. About ten are injured. One witness said he forced his way into a locked room where the children were sleeping. About 30 children were at the daycare at the time. This mass shooting is the deadliest in Thailand’s history.

Who was the shooter? Police identified the gunman as Panya Kamrab, a 34-year-old former police officer. The police department fired him for drug-related offenses. He had been in court earlier in the day and then went to the daycare to pick up his child. But when Kamrab didn’t find his son, he started killing people, police said. The motive is still unclear, but a police spokesperson told Thai PBS that Kamrab appeared to be under the influence of drugs.

Dig deeper: Read Lynde Langdon’s report in The Sift on Thailand’s previous worst mass shooting.