Soldier Opens Fire in Thailand, Killing 20
A manhunt is on after a junior soldier at a base who killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 21 near the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, known as Korat, more than 180 miles northeast of Bangkok, NPR’s Michael Sullivan reported. Police say the gunman shot a superior officer and others at the base.
The gunman fled the scene and resumed his shooting spree along the road to a mall and continued shooting at a nearby shopping mall. Police and soldiers rescued hundreds of people from a shopping mall as they continued to hunt for a gunman who had holed up inside after killing at least 20 people, Bangkok Post reported.
Around 3.30 pm, the soldier shot dead his commander and two others at the Surathampithak army camp before stealing weapons and ammunition and fleeing in a stolen Humvee.
Many more people were slain inside the mall, where the gunman live-streamed the mayhem on Facebook Live before his site was shut down.
The gunman used a machine gun and shot innocent victims dead” said Pol Col Krissana Pattanacharoen, the police spokesman according to the Bangkok Post report.
Police tweeted during the chaos:
At the moment, the culprit is still in the Terminal 21 mall. Korat still causes firefighting and fires inside the mall. People in the nearby area should be cautious. At this time, officers from all parts, including the “Sheriff”, are working in full force.