Mourning began for the victims of Saturday’s worst mass shooting in Thailand. A soldier killed 29 people and wounded 58 at a local shopping mall in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima. Security forces fatally shot the gunman after a 12-hour siege.
The shooting was carried out by a disgruntled soldier who opened fire on strangers inside and outside the building before he was fatally shot.
The dead were mourned Sunday night, with people gathering for the vigil led by Buddhist monks. They lit candles and prayed in the town square.
Officials said the soldier, identified as 32-year-old Sgt. Maj. Jakraphanth Thomma, was angry over a financial dispute with his commanding officer. He stole weapons and a military vehicle from his army base before heading before stealing guns from an army camp and heading to the mall.
“This incident was unprecedented in Thailand. I want this to be the last time this crisis happens”, prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said.
Despite the fact that Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, mass shootings in the country are rare.
Thailand mourns victims of mass shooting at mall
EPA-EFE/STR
Thais attend a candle light vigil to commemorate the victims of the shooting rampage at the scene of Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, 10 February 2020. According to media reports, 30 people including a suspected gunman were killed, and as many as 58 wounded after a Thai soldier, identified as 32-year-old Jakraphanth Thomma, went on a shooting rampage with assault rifles and ammunitions stole from a military camp, in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat. Thomma held an unknown number of people hostage within the Terminal 21 shopping mall for around 15 hours before being shot and killed in a police operation.
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