Tragedy as 14-Year-Old Boy Kills Classmates, Teachers, and His Grandparents as Details Emerge

• A 14-year-old student opened fire at a secondary school in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, on Friday, August 7, 2026
• The suspect allegedly killed his grandparents at home before storming the school with his grandfather's handgun
• At least six people were fatally shot at the school, including three students and three teachers, with more than 20 others wounded

A 14-year-old boy shot and killed at least six people at a secondary school in Thailand on Friday, August 7, in one of the country's deadliest school shootings in recent years, police said.

Before reaching the school, the suspect allegedly shot and killed his grandmother and grandfather at their home.

He then made his way to Debsirin Nonthaburi School, a well-known institution of about 3,000 students situated along a busy highway in the Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province, on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwphan confirmed that three students and three teachers were among the dead. More than 20 people were wounded, with nine in a critical condition. The youngest victim was 12 years old. Most casualties were teenagers between 12 and 17, according to the provincial Emergency Operations Centre.

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Chaos and panic as 14-year-old opens fire at Thailand school

As reported by CNN, video footage captured terrified students crouched under desks, sobbing as gunshots rang out nearby, while separate footage showed students fleeing the building as a staff member guided them to safety.

An unnamed rescue worker told Reuters that "it was total chaos" on arrival, with students needing first aid for wounds to their back, chest, and arms.

The suspect used what police described as his grandfather's handgun. Authorities said the boy had been living with his grandparents rather than his parents, but investigators had not yet established how he gained access to the firearm.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul responded to the incident on Friday afternoon, saying: "This is horrible, it shouldn't have happened."

An 18-year-old student told Reuters he initially mistook the sounds for firecrackers.

"Then it started getting more frequent, like 'bang, bang, bang' and then it went quiet at one point. And the shooting started again," the student said.

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Thailand school shooting suspect in critical condition

Early reports suggested the suspect had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but Lieutenant General Trairong later confirmed he remained alive in critical condition and was receiving emergency treatment.

Emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith told Reuters that his team found the suspect had "shot himself in the right side of the head and collapsed," and that they performed CPR after spotting signs of life before transporting him to hospital.

Gun ownership context and mass shooting in Thailand

Gun ownership in Thailand is among the highest in Southeast Asia. According to 2017 data from the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey, more than 10.3 million civilian-owned firearms existed in the country, roughly 15 guns per 100 people.

Thailand ranks second in the region for gun homicides after the Philippines, per the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's 2019 Global Burden of Disease database, The Guardian reported.

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The country has faced previous incidents of gun violence at schools. In February 2026, a teacher died, and a student was injured in Hat Yai district after a school shooting. In 2022, 36 people, including 24 children, were killed at a childcare centre in the country's northeast.

Multiple people killed in deadly US shooting

Legit.ng previously reported that three people were killed, and seven more were injured, some critically, in a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in southern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, August 1, a Twin Falls city spokesperson said.

Police who responded to the shooting found the body of the suspected gunman in an area near the restaurant, Twin Falls city public information officer Josh Palmer said. He did not know if the suspect was included in the fatality count.

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng