14-year-old suspect in Thailand mall shooting charged with premeditated murder

The authorities in Thailand are preparing to recite today charges against a 14-year-old for premeditated murder after the armed attack who unleashed yesterday on an upscale shopping mall in Bangkok using what police say was a modified pistol that was originally designed to fire blanks. The suspect suffered a mental breakdown after the attack he launched inside the Siam Paragon killing two women – one from China and one from Myanmar – and injuring five other people. This was the third armed attack to rock Thailand in the past three years.

The 14-year-old surrendered when the police cornered him inside a branded furniture store, as reported by APE-MPE. Police have announced they will seek to charge him with premeditated murder, attempted murder, possession of an illegal weapon and using it in a public place. “We still can’t get him a statement because the doctor said that he has a psychiatric problemBangkok police Lt. Gen. Nakarin Sukondawit told Reuters.

Mass murders are rare in Thailand, but the armed violence and the gun ownership it’s a common thing. Gun laws are strict, but guns can be modified and bought illegally, many smuggled in from abroad. The police announced that the teenager he had converted a weapon designed to fire a bulletwhich is widely sold.

One of the most photographed places on Instagram, Siam Paragon, is Thailand’s most famous shopping mall attracting daily crowds of local and foreign visitors who shop in its luxury shops or visit its aquarium, cinemas and restaurants and cafes. Today flowers were placed at its entrance when it reopened its doors, while workers replaced the broken glass of a Louis Vuitton store.

Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin attended a technology event held at the mall and told reporters that access to guns – including those that can be modified – is something his government will address in cooperation with the police. “They can buy them onlineso we need to put more restrictions on people’s access to these dangerous things,” he said.

The Chinese embassy in Bangkok announced that the Thai prime minister had a telephone conversation with its ambassador and pledged to “strengthen public security to provide a reliable and safe environment for Chinese citizens traveling to Thailand.” Thai police chief Torsak Sukwwimol said the suspect was receiving psychiatric treatment and had not taken his prescribed medication when he launched the attack. Investigators are looking into his background and plan to talk to his friends, including his online gaming teammates, about his mental state. “We will have to investigate whether the suspect had a history of aggressive and violent behavior,” said Torsak, who met with the boy shortly after the attack. “At first I spoke to him to reassure him…he seemed to he hears someone talking to him, he was hearing things, a voice telling him to shootas he himself said,” Torsak told the media.