Two people have been killed, including a hospitalized Covid-19 patient, after a former soldier, dressed in combat uniform and a red beret, attacked a coronavirus field hospital in Pathum Thani Province.
Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, shortly after the attack took place, regional Police Chief Amphol Buarabporn said that an initial investigation suggested the shooter mistook the Covid-19 patients for drug addicts, adding that he hated drug users.
Buarabporn confirmed that the attacker, a former soldier, believed to be 23 years old, had killed two people. One, a patient, was killed in the hospital, while a shop worker was shot dead earlier over a dispute in Bangkok.
The field hospital in Pathum Thani where the ex-soldier fired gunshots had previously been a drug rehabilitation center and had been refitted to treat Covid-19 patients.
Footage from CCTV shows the man, identified by local media as Kawin Saengnilkul, dressed in a red beret, full combat gear and brandishing a weapon, entering the hospital and leaving a victim behind him.
คิดเอาเองแล้วกันประชาชนจะสนใจข่าวไหนมากกว่าอะ แล้วคิดเอาเองว่าตำรวจจะไปที่ไหนเยอะมากกว่ากัน #ม็อบ24มิถุนา#ราชภัฏอันดับ1#กราดยิงรพสนามpic.twitter.com/RjHxJrrQEw
Update : พบรถยนต์ ที่คนร้ายก่อเหตุบุก #กราดยิงรพสนาม ยิง จนท. และผู้ที่อยู่ด้านใน รพ.สนาม จ.ปทุมธานี เป็น รถยนต์ อีซูซุ สีขาว ทะเบียน 3 ฒข 6233 กทม. พบหลบหนีลงภาคใต้ กำลังเข้าพื้นที่ ชุมพร – ระนอง pic.twitter.com/f2CkxmeTBM
The suspect was later arrested. Reports suggest the assailant was driving a white Isuzu truck which was incepted by police in Chumphon province.
In February last year, another young soldier killed 29 people in a shooting spree at a Thai shopping mall. He had killed his commanding officer before taking hostages at the mall.
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