34 people were killed in Thailand on Thursday, 6 October in a mass shooting at a day-care centre by a former policeman who killed his wife and child before shooting himself dead, police affirmed.
There were 22 children among the victims of the suspected gunman, who police said had been discharged from the service for drug-related reasons. About 30 children were at the centre when the gunman came in around lunchtime, district official Jidapa Boonsom told the news media.
The man first shot 4 or 5 staff, including a teacher who was 8 months pregnant, Jidapa said.
“At first people thought it was fireworks,” she added.
Videos posted on social media showed sheets covering what appeared to be the bodies of children lying in pools of blood at the centre in the town of Uthai Sawan in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu.
Prior, police said a manhunt was underway for the shooter, and a government spokesman said the prime minister had alerted all agencies to catch the culprit.
