A drunken man accidentally shot his friend dead inside a house in Don Mueang, then tried to shoot himself under the chin to avoid blame but did not die. He fled with his girlfriend but was eventually arrested in Nonthaburi Province.
At 22:15 on 4 Nov 2016, Sub-Lieutenant Satthawat Hannon, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) of Don Mueang Police Station, received a report of a shooting resulting in a fatality at a house in Premprachasomboon Community on Cherdwutthakat Road, Don Mueang Subdistrict, Don Mueang District, Bangkok. He informed his superiors and proceeded to the scene with Deputy Superintendent Amnat Chamchaem, Deputy Superintendent Woraphat Sukthai, Deputy Superintendent Chayaphat Heepthong, officers from Don Mueang Police’s prevention and suppression and investigation units, forensic doctors from Bhumibol Hospital, forensic science officers, and volunteers from Ruamkatanyu Foundation.
The scene behind Don Mueang Temple was a two-story townhouse. On the ground floor, the body of Mr. Santrats Nimitliwpanich, or Jack, 42, was found lying on his back with a gunshot wound to the left rib caused by a .38 caliber bullet. The body was sent to the forensic department of Bhumibol Hospital for autopsy.
During questioning, Ms. Punika, 37, the deceased’s wife, said that before the incident, Mr. Jack was drinking with Mr. Tum, the suspect. Mr. Tum took out a homemade .38 caliber pistol to clean it, but it accidentally discharged, shooting Mr. Jack. She heard only one gunshot. The suspect fled the scene. Medical staff attempted CPR, but Mr. Jack died shortly afterward.
Later, Don Mueang investigation officers received coordination from Rattanathibet Police Station in Nonthaburi after a citizen reported seeing the suspect, Mr. Prapan Thongma, or Tum, 40, sitting in the middle of Samakkhi 51 Alley, Tha Sai Subdistrict, Mueang Nonthaburi District, Nonthaburi Province. They arrested him while he was severely injured and bleeding heavily from a self-inflicted gunshot wound under the left chin, with the bullet lodged in his cheek. It is believed he attempted to avoid responsibility after the incident before fleeing with his girlfriend by car.
Ms. Nam, 38, the suspect’s girlfriend, claimed they were not fleeing but taking a taxi to a clinic. The suspect said he discarded the firearm near the roadside close to the scene. Authorities remain skeptical. The suspect was sent for treatment at Phra Nang Klao Hospital in Nonthaburi.
Initially, investigators are gathering evidence and waiting to interview Mr. Tum once his condition improves. They are also deploying teams to search for the firearm near the scene to include in the case file before formally charging him with murder and firearm-related offenses.