An update on the case of a Grade 9 student who fired a gun at school: police held a tense three-hour meeting to prevent imitation. The principal denied covering up the student's gun possession. The boy's father revealed his son suffers from depression due to bullying and was angered by a teacher sharing his post.
On 3 Sep 2026 GMT+7, reporters reported that Pol. Lt. Gen. Thamsak Pinthong, Special Expert of the Royal Thai Police and acting Deputy Commander of Region 6 Police, visited to follow up on the case of a 15-year-old Grade 9 male student who fired a gun at Wachiraprakarnwittayakom School in Kamphaeng Phet Province. He held a joint meeting with Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Police and educational staff to devise preventive measures and verify facts. He stated the incident was resolved well due to effective crisis drills by partner agencies, holding a more than three-hour meeting in the Kamphaeng Leela meeting room at the Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Police Headquarters.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Thamsak Pinthong said today that stakeholders were invited to discuss measures to prevent this incident from inspiring copycat acts in the future. He emphasized that the main goal is not just to fix the situation but to prevent such incidents from ever occurring. They discussed various issues without going into detail, reached a consensus, and will bring the matter to the provincial level for further discussion. Regarding school safety in Kamphaeng Phet, stricter measures have already been implemented by both education and police authorities. Whether for this recent incident or any related events, controls are already in place. Now they will identify any shortcomings and add supplementary measures to better prevent recurrence.
After returning to normal classes, regarding safety, it is not necessary to station police officers inside the school, but it remains the police's duty to regularly patrol and monitor. They have emphasized increased interaction between teachers and police to enhance vigilance.
Regarding rumors that the student had previously brought a gun to school and the school covered it up, Ms. Juthamat Wongkhiao, principal of Wachiraprakarnwittayakom School, stated that the school confirms such an incident had never happened before. Yesterday’s event was the first case of a student bringing a firearm to school. This arose after receiving information from advisors and counselors that a friend of the perpetrator was concerned about mentions of guns and various stresses, though details were not disclosed. The school invited the parents twice to discuss prevention, following social media chats between teachers and students that caused misunderstandings. The school has continuously communicated with parents and taken preventive actions since identifying the perpetrator’s issues, with counselors coordinating with parents and the student and adjusting all subjects’ lesson plans. However, they did not anticipate such an incident and will enhance cooperation between teachers and parents going forward.
In an interview, the perpetrator’s father, still shocked by the incident, revealed that on the morning of the incident, after finishing his shift and returning home to rest, his son came home and took the firearm. He was asleep and did not realize his son had taken the gun until later when he heard of the school incident. He then hurried to the police station and has since provided information to authorities, speaking with his son until about midnight.
The father further disclosed that his son has suffered from depression for some time but was only recently taken to see a doctor. From conversations with his son, some of the stress originated from being bullied by peers. Additionally, his son had posted violent messages on social media, which a teacher captured and shared further. This angered and upset the boy, leading to the firearm incident at school yesterday.
The father admitted that he had previously been worried about such an incident occurring and tried to keep and hide his firearms, which he normally carried and stored at home. On the day of the incident, he had hidden the gun in the car, but his son found it and used it to commit the act.