Thailand Shooting Leaves Eight Dead at Nonthaburi School and Grandparents' Home

The Thailand shooting that left eight dead began when a 14-year-old student killed his grandparents at their home before carrying out an attack at Debsirin Nonthaburi School that killed five staff members and left more than 30 injured. [1] [3]

Shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School

The gunman, a 14-year-old student at the school, entered the campus in Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province and fired dozens of shots. [3] [4] Witnesses described hearing multiple rounds initially mistaken for firecrackers, with one 18-year-old student stating, “I didn’t think it was a gun at first. There were many shots: bang, bang, bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again.” [1] Students locked classroom doors and hid between tables or climbed over fences to escape. [1] [4] The shooter targeted staff members including a maths teacher, a Thai language teacher, a guidance counsellor, a student affairs administrator and a secretary. [4] He fired at least 26 bullets using his grandfather’s handgun, with 34 more rounds and additional ammunition recovered at the scenes. [1] Emergency responders found the gunman had shot himself in the head and performed CPR after checking his pulse. [1] One female seventh grader described the gunman appearing suddenly and shooting a teacher she was speaking with, forcing her to climb the school fence with friends to escape amid clouds of dust. [1]

Grandparents Killed at Home

Police discovered the bodies of the gunman’s grandparents, Somjit Yimruang, 73, and his 74-year-old wife, at their home in Bang Bua Thong district roughly 20km from the school. [1] [5] Investigators believe the grandparents were killed first, with Somjit shot in the back in the ground-floor kitchen and his wife shot while asleep in an upstairs bedroom. [5] The 9mm handgun used throughout the attack was legally registered to the grandfather, and three boxes of ammunition each containing 50 rounds were stored with the firearm. [5] Relatives described the suspect as a quiet, well-behaved teenager who lived with his grandparents since his parents separated and spent much of his time playing computer games. [5] Neighbours reported hearing two loud bangs early on the morning of the incident but initially thought they might be firecrackers. [4] The suspect’s uncle noted that the grandfather never allowed family members to play with firearms and kept them locked, yet could not explain how the teenager accessed the hidden key. [5]

Casualties and Medical Response

Eight people were confirmed dead, including the gunman, his grandparents and five school staff members, with over 30 people injured and nine in critical condition. [3] A 12-year-old girl later became the ninth casualty after succumbing to severe gunshot wounds at Phra Nang Klao Hospital. [5] Two other students, a 14-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, sustained torso wounds and remained in critical condition. [5] Emergency teams from Bang Yai Hospital and Bang Mae Nang Municipality transported critically injured victims to the hospital’s emergency department. [5] Medical staff treated students with injuries to the back, chest and arms, and one teacher was found dead on an upper floor while another female teacher had chest and arm wounds. [1] The school suspended classes for all year levels from the following Monday to Friday and instructed teachers to work from home while students completed assigned homework, with normal classes scheduled to resume on Aug 17. [5]

Motive and Digital Evidence

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul attributed the motive to academic pressure, noting that the grandparents were strict about studies and that the dead grandmother had been a teacher. [1] [3] Investigators found on the suspect’s computer that he had searched and studied an American school shooting case, with five video clips related to school shootings abroad viewed since July 30. [3] [5] The teenager had also played computer games featuring violence, and a friend confirmed he was under great pressure recently, had made thorough preparations and posted photos of the gun on social media. [3] [4] The friend added that the suspect was interested in the FBI and guns and had been bullied by other students. [4] Relatives stated there had been no obvious signs of stress, conflict or behavioural problems before the incident. [5]

Government Response and Gun Control

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul arrived at the scene and told reporters, “This is terrible for something like this to happen. I’m sad for those who died and sad for something like this to happen in our country.” [1] He expressed condolences to the victims’ families, ordered urgent assistance for the injured and stated that such an incident must not be allowed to happen again. [3] [5] The government announced plans to promote stricter gun control measures and strengthen supervision of gun ownership situations, with no one allowed to carry guns into public places unless performing official duties. [3] The prime minister reinforced the government’s decision not to renew permits for carrying and possessing firearms. [5]

Context of Prior Shootings

The incident is the second school shooting in Thailand this year and the deadliest in years in a country with the largest number of guns in civilian possession in Southeast Asia, estimated at 40%. [1] Past promises of tightening gun laws have not prevented repeated shootings despite the high regional gun ownership rates. [4] The school had an enrolment of about 3,100 students and 147 teachers in the 2025 academic year. [1]

What to watch next: Authorities continue analysing the suspect’s desktop computer and other digital evidence to determine any link to the attack or prior firearms training, while the government advances stricter gun control measures and supervision of ownership.