Police have surrounded the house of "Lieutenant Pong" pressuring him to surrender after the incident involving the "shooting of a female teacher" who died in front of the classroom, while the son remains unable to come to terms and is saddened by his father's actions against his mother.
Lieutenant Thaspong, also known as Lieutenant Pong, shot and killed Mrs. Phailin Thongthach, or Teacher Ple, aged 48, his wife and a teacher at Nong Plalai Municipal Kindergarten, in front of a classroom inside the school located in Nong Plalai Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m.
Later, at 11:30 a.m. on 9 Sep 2026, Police Colonel Sarawut Nuchnarot, Superintendent of Bang Lamung Police Station, led police forces to surround Lieutenant Thaspong’s residence, approximately 3 km from the kindergarten where the incident happened. The house is a two-story detached home on about 60-70 square wah. Investigations revealed that after shooting his wife, who was a staff member at the kindergarten, Lieutenant Pong fled to his own home.
Initially, police found Lieutenant Pong inside the house and attempted to persuade him to surrender. They coordinated with his daughter-in-law, the village headman, and the mayor of Nong Plalai Subdistrict to negotiate, but all efforts failed. Eventually, he refused to communicate, with loud noises heard intermittently from inside the house.
Police then cordoned off the village area and coordinated with Chonburi Provincial Investigation Bureau’s special operations unit, deploying commando teams to clear the area. Nearby residents were evacuated from their homes for safety as police prepared tactical operations, since Lieutenant Pong showed no sign of surrendering.
Reports further indicate that police tried to involve his son, who is also a police officer currently stationed in the southern region, hoping he could help persuade his father to surrender. However, the son has not yet accepted the situation, deeply saddened that his father harmed his mother despite having recently held a wedding ceremony for them just days before.
Meanwhile, Narit Niramaiwong, Governor of Chonburi Province, along with Anusak Piriyamorn, District Chief of Bang Lamung, promptly visited the crime scene to control the situation. Coordinating closely with police and local authorities, they ensured maximum safety by quickly evacuating all 44 students, 3 remaining teachers, and 3 school staff from the scene to a secure location. It was confirmed that no students were injured.
Additionally, the Governor ordered the immediate closure of the kindergarten and organized a team to provide psychological support to the children and staff who witnessed the incident. The suspect is known to have been the husband of the deceased. After the shooting, he fled to his home in a local village. Police have surrounded the residence and are negotiating for his prompt surrender.
CCTV footage clearly captured the moment Lieutenant Pong shot his wife to death. The video shows that at 10:37 a.m., Teacher Ple exited the classroom and stood in the corridor outside. Lieutenant Pong, wearing a white crew-neck T-shirt with a police badge on the left chest and black shorts, approached her holding a firearm. He then pointed the gun and shot Teacher Ple, who fell to the ground. He subsequently left the school, carrying the weapon, and went into hiding at his home about 3 km from the school.
Further reports from a close associate of Lieutenant Pong’s family revealed that Lieutenant Pong and Teacher Ple had been experiencing jealousy issues for some time, leading to plans to separate and divide marital assets. However, Lieutenant Pong refused, resulting in frequent arguments and physical altercations until the tragic incident occurred.