At Least Eight Killed in Thailand School Shooting as 14-Year-Old Suspect Dies by Suicide

A horrific shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School on Friday left at least eight people dead, including the suspected 14-year-old gunman, plunging the country into mourning and raising urgent questions about young people's access to firearms.

Police believe the ninth-grade student first shot and killed his grandparents at their home in Bang Bua Thong district, Nonthaburi, using his grandfather's handgun.

The teenager then travelled to the nearby secondary school campus in Bang Kruai, where he opened fire in corridors and classrooms before taking his own life.

The coordinated violence has shaken communities across the Bangkok metropolitan region, prompting immediate security reviews and widespread calls for tighter gun controls.

Chaos in Classrooms as Emergency Response Begins

The attack unfolded at about 9.30am as students settled into morning classes at the well-known Nonthaburi secondary school, which has around 3,000 students.

Witnesses reported hearing rapid gunfire echo through the school buildings, forcing terrified students to dive beneath desks and barricade themselves inside classrooms. Teachers and administrative staff moved quickly to guide survivors to safety as special operations police units rushed to seal off the campus.

Police spokesman Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwphan said three teachers and three students were killed inside the school.

Police also believe the teenager fatally shot his grandparents before arriving on campus, bringing the total death toll to at least eight after he later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

More than 20 people were injured, with nine reported to be in critical condition. Officials said the youngest victim was just 12 years old.

Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau later confirmed that the situation had been brought under control.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said more than 30 people were injured during the rampage, with about nine victims remaining in critical condition.

Emergency medical personnel described scenes of utter confusion as ambulances transported wounded students and staff to hospitals in the area.

A Nightmare for Students

For hundreds of students, an ordinary school morning turned into a desperate fight for survival.

Verified video filmed inside the school showed frightened students crouching beneath their desks, many sobbing as gunshots echoed through nearby corridors. Other footage showed students running from classrooms while teachers and staff hurried them to safety.

One 18-year-old student told Reuters that they initially mistook the noise for fireworks.

'I initially thought firecrackers were going off,' the student said. 'Then it started getting more frequent, like "bang, bang, bang," and then it went quiet at one point. And the shooting started again.'

An emergency worker described arriving to 'total chaos', with students suffering gunshot wounds to their backs, chests and arms as rescue teams rushed to provide first aid.

Those terrifying moments are now part of the painful memories carried by survivors, many of whom were forced to hide as the attack unfolded around them.

Parents Panic After Shooting

As news of the shooting spread, worried parents rushed to the school hoping their children were safe.

Among them was Karla Cripps, CNN's senior travel producer, whose son attends the school but was in Japan when the attack began.

'My son called me from Japan in a panic, telling me that he'd heard there was a shooting at his school,' she said.

Standing outside the campus, Cripps described ambulances arriving one after another as parents embraced frightened children. She also said one of her son's friends had a brother among those injured.

The atmosphere, she said, was simply 'terrible for everyone'.

How Did a 14-Year-Old Get the Gun?

As investigators examine the tragedy, attention is increasingly turning to the weapon used.

Police said the student gunman used his grandfather's handgun, but authorities have not yet explained how the teenager accessed it or whether it had been stored securely.

A photograph released by a Bangkok police official showed the handgun lying on the school floor beside several rounds of ammunition, underscoring the scale of the investigation now under way.

Emergency worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith said medical teams found the teenager with a gunshot wound to the head and attempted to save his life before he was taken to hospital.

Investigators are expected to examine every stage of the firearm's journey, from where it was kept to whether warning signs were missed before the attack. Those unanswered questions are now shaping a wider conversation about Thailand's school security and whether stronger safeguards are needed to prevent children from accessing deadly weapons.

Nation in Grief

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul described the attack as heartbreaking, telling reporters, 'This is horrible, it shouldn't have happened.'

For grieving families, however, those words offer little comfort.

The investigation is now entering its most important phase. Police still need to establish how a 14-year-old allegedly obtained his grandfather's handgun, whether opportunities to intervene were missed, and what changes could help prevent another catastrophe.

Until those questions are answered, the school shooting will remain more than a devastating headline. It will stand as a painful reminder that preventing the next tragedy may depend on understanding exactly how this one was allowed to happen.

With the country grieving one of its worst recent security failures, officials face mounting pressure to implement systemic safeguarding measures and stricter accountability frameworks for gun owners.

Originally published on IBTimes UK