What were the circumstances leading to the Thailand school shooting?

The shooting was carried out by a 14-year-old boy who was reportedly under stress related to his schooling. He first killed his grandparents at home before proceeding to his school, where he targeted teachers and staff.

Why did the Thai shooter target his grandparents before the school?

The shooter had been under significant stress regarding his academic performance, with reports suggesting his grandmother was a strict teacher who imposed high expectations on him.

How did the Thai authorities respond to the school shooting incident?

Thai authorities, including Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, expressed condolences and announced plans to discuss gun control measures following the attack, acknowledging the tragedy and the need for change.

Teen who killed 7 was ‘under stress’ related to school, had planned attack: Thailand PM

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters he would discuss gun control with the country's police chief, reported Reuters.

Updated on: Aug 7, 2026, 16:23:22 IST

Edited by Nikita Sharma

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The Thai teenager who allegedly killed seven people, including his grandparents, on Friday before killing self was “under stress” and had “planned” the shooting, according to Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

A teenager opened fire at a school outside Bangkok on Friday, killing five people before himself. Before that, he had also killed his grandparents. (AFP)

"Police interrogated his close friend who said the suspect had been under stress" related to his schooling, Anutin said while speaking to reporters, as quoted by news agency AFP.

He made the remarks outside the secondary school in Nonthaburi province of Thailand, bordering Bangkok, where the shooting happened.

“His actions also suggested that he had clearly planned (the shooting),” Anutin added.

Also read: 8 dead, including teen gunman, after school shooting in Thailand; 23 injured

Apart from the seven people murdered, nine out of those injured in the mass shooting incident are in critical condition, the Prime Minister said. At least 23 people were injured in the incident, according to police.

Anutin told reporters he would discuss gun control with the country's police chief, reported Reuters.

"This is terrible for something like this to happen. I'm sad for those who died and sad for something like this to happen in our country," Anutin said.

What happened?

A teenager opened fire at a school outside Bangkok on Friday, killing five people before himself. Before that, he had also killed his grandparents.

Also read: Thailand teen killed grandparents at home before deadly school shooting: Police

According to the police, all the victims killed in the school were teachers and staff. The 14-year-old suspect fired at least 26 rounds of bullets and used his grandfather's gun. An additional 34 rounds were found, said police.

This was the worst mass killing Thailand has seen since 2022. What prompted the teenager to carry out the attack is not yet certain.

‘There were many shots: bang, bang, bang’

The incident happened at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, which is on the outskirts of Bangkok. After the shooting, the students and teachers cried, hugged each other as they stormed out of classrooms while those injured and killed were moved to hospitals.

An 18-year-old student described the horror and said that they initially thought that firecrackers were going off or someone was banging an object.

“I didn't think it was a gun at first. There were many shots: bang, bang, bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again,” he told Reuters.

Notably, Thailand has the highest number of civilian-held guns in Southeast Asia and one of the highest rates of gun ownership per capita in Asia, according to a 2017 estimate by the Small Arms Survey.

(With inputs from AFP, Reuters)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nikita Sharma
Nikita Sharma is a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times. She is a Delhi-based digital journalist with five years of experience writing and editing news stories across beats including crime, politics, tech, trends and much more, both national and international. At Hindustan Times, she is part of the news team and focuses on breaking news, keeping a track of what is happening where, and chasing ever-developing news stories. She has a penchant for covering crime, geopolitics, and Indian politics with a keen eye for stories often overlooked in the daily news cycle. At Hindustan Times, she has extensively covered several key events including the US Presidential elections, Air India plane crash, Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, US’ tariff war, and others. As a Delhi aficionado, she particularly enjoys roaming and writing about the national capital — its heritage, food, art and culture, and the many problems that come with it — the pollution, waterlogging, traffic, and more. Nikita did her Bachelor in Journalism and Mass Communication from GGSIPU and started working as a digital journalist in 2021. During her first stint, she covered hyperlocal news at a Delhi-based newsroom, writing and editing stories on builder-buyer conflicts, civic issues such as potholes, waterlogging, lack of facilities at hospitals in Delhi, crippling of the city during peak monsoon season. She also wrote features covering Delhi’s art exhibitions, heritage walks, artist profiles, museums, classical Hindustani music concerts and dance shows. She entered mainstream news in 2023 and has previously worked at NDTV.Read More

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