A 17 year old boy was arrested after fatally shooting a Thai soldier in Lahan Sai district, Buriram province, yesterday, September 23. The teenage suspect reportedly told police that he fired at the wrong person.
The 28 year old soldier, Watcharin, was shot at about 2.30am and suffered a gunshot wound to his head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, while his 17 year old nephew suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm.
Watcharin’s 63 year old mother, Tayoei, told KhaoSod that her son had previously been released from prison before serving as a conscript at an army base in Buriram. He later developed tuberculosis and was discharged from the army premises three months ago to prevent the disease from spreading.
Tayoei believed the shooting was connected to a conflict between her teenage grandson and a group of teenage rivals in the area. She said Watcharin answered the door after the group arrived at the house, resulting in him being shot.
Lahan Sai Police Station arrested the 17 year old suspect at his home in the area at about 11am yesterday. Police also arrested other teenagers aged between 15 and 17 who were reportedly involved in the incident.
The main suspect told police that he and his friends had a conflict with Watcharin’s nephew and his friends. He claimed the rival group had shot his older brother last year.
The teenager said Watcharin’s nephew called him to the house on the day of the shooting. He then gathered eight friends, with four travelling in a car and four travelling on two motorcycles, before going to the house.
The suspect told police that he believed his rival would come out of the house and attack him and his friends. He said he immediately fired when the door opened.
The teenager claimed that he had no dispute with Watcharin and did not intend to kill anyone. He said it was dark and he could not distinguish who was standing at the door.
Police did not find the firearm at the suspect’s home. The teenagers were handed over to investigators, who will question them with a multidisciplinary team as required by law for minors.
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