A school principal has died after a teenage gunman opened fire at a school in southern Thailand, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The attack occurred on Wednesday at Phatong Prathan Khiriwat School in Songkhla province, near Hat Yai.
Police said the 18-year-old suspect stormed the school armed with a 9mm pistol stolen from a police officer shortly before the incident.
School director Sasiphat Sinsamosorn was shot in the chest and later died in hospital from blood loss after undergoing surgery, according to a statement from the Songkhla provincial public relations department. Authorities described her as a “brave teacher.”
Two students were also injured in the shooting. A teenage girl sustained gunshot wounds and underwent surgery, the Ministry of Public Health said.
Another student was hurt after jumping from the second floor of the school building while trying to escape but has since been discharged from hospital.
Songkhla police chief Teerasak Chaiyotha said officers responded to reports of a teenager “acting erratically” before the shooting.
According to police, the suspect allegedly stabbed an officer with a knife and seized his firearm before heading to the school, where several shots were fired.
Police shot and arrested the suspect at the scene.
He sustained a minor gunshot wound and is receiving treatment in hospital. Authorities said he has not yet been formally charged as investigations continue.
Teerasak added that the suspect had previously been hospitalised for psychiatric treatment in December and was later discharged.
The school expressed its “deepest condolences” in a Facebook post, saying, “Although we have lost her, the memories and kindness she left behind will forever remain in our hearts.”
Classes at the school have been suspended for two days as investigators gather evidence and officials review security measures.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Southeast Asia, with an estimated 10 million firearms in circulation roughly one for every seven people.
Despite repeated promises to tighten gun laws, the country has experienced several high-profile shootings in recent years.
In 2022, a former police officer killed 36 people including 24 children in a mass shooting and stabbing at a nursery in northern Thailand, one of the deadliest attacks in the nation’s history.
