The night market in Lopburi was thrown into chaos when a vendor shot his close friend dead at a duck noodle shop before taking his own life to escape blame. Police suspect a debt-related motive and have called in involved individuals for further questioning to find the true cause.
At 21:30 on 3 Sep 2026, Lopburi Radio Center 191 police received a report of a shooting at Sarakaew Night Market. At the scene, two people were critically injured. Lieutenant Ekawit Thongthum, investigating officer of Lopburi City Police Station, arrived to inspect the scene along with Ruamkatanyu Foundation volunteers.
At the scene, many shoppers who had come to eat were startled and fled wildly from the gunfire near the duck noodle shop. Mr. Phenpak Watwantana, 62, was found shot four times with an unknown caliber firearm—in the chest, right ribs, left arm, and right thigh—lying in a pool of blood. Four 11 mm bullet casings were found nearby amid the crying of his wife and children, who initially gave incoherent statements to police.
Next to the duck noodle shop, Mr. Kukiat, also known as Kit Hansuepsilpsuk, 64, was found shot in the forehead with an unknown caliber gun, blood pooling on the ground. One gun and five bullet casings were found. He was identified as the shooter who killed Mr. Phenpak. Investigations revealed that the shooter used the same gun to end his own life to avoid blame.
Additionally, at the scene, one 11 mm bullet casing was found and collected as evidence. Autopsy of Mr. Kukiat showed he had another 11 mm gun holstered at his waist. Police cleared the weapon for safety before detailed inspection revealed three fully loaded magazines.
Ms. Poolsuk, 54, wife of Mr. Phenpak, said the two men had been close friends for decades, selling goods near each other. Her husband sold duck noodles; the shooter had a neighboring shop. They worked side by side for years without personal grudges. However, she knew they had previously argued and even fought physically, then reconciled. Recently, she heard rumors of debt collection issues but was unaware of the details.
At the time of the incident, Mr. Kukiat was sitting eating longan at a beef noodle shop, watching Mr. Phenpak selling duck noodles for about 15 minutes before walking over and shooting him to the ground. This caused panic and screams. Then Mr. Kukiat calmly went to Ms. Poolsuk's shop, smoked a cigarette for about five minutes, and then took his own life, shocking those nearby.
Initially, officials believe the two close friends may have accumulated resentment over unpaid debts. Authorities plan to summon related individuals for questioning to determine the true cause.