Snipers kill rogue soldier who gunned down 29 in Thailand’s worst mass shooting
- Soldier angry over debt dispute was armed with assault weapons stolen from his barracks
- He posted updates to his Facebook page during rampage that end at shopping centre
A Thai soldier who killed at least 29 people before being shot dead in a mall by commandos went on the rampage because of a debt dispute, the kingdom’s premier said on Sunday, offering the first official speculation for the motive of an “unprecedented” shooting spree.
After a night which seesawed between heavy exchanges of gunfire and terrifying dashes for mall exits by trapped shoppers, sharpshooters brought an end to the 17-hour-ordeal when they killed the gunman on Sunday morning in Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat.
Later, on Sunday night, holding candles and writing condolences as monks chanted prayers, hundreds of Thais held an evening vigil for the victims.
Twenty-nine people including civilians – the youngest a 13-year-old boy – and security forces were killed by the rogue soldier, Thailand’s prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said.
“It is unprecedented in Thailand, and I want this to be the last time this crisis happens,” he said outside a hospital where victims, including at least two undergoing brain surgery, were being treated.
Prayuth, a gruff former army chief, blamed a “personal problem” over the sale of the house for the soldier’s rampage, which began on Saturday afternoon near an army barracks and was for several hours relayed by the gunman via Facebook posts.