Thai commando police officers leave from a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. /CFP
The teenager suspected of killing two foreign nationals and wounding five others in a Thai shopping mall shooting had modified a handgun that was designed to fire only blanks, a senior police official said on Wednesday.
Chaos erupted at the Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok close to peak hours on Tuesday, with hundreds fleeing as gunshots rang out. The dead were two women from China and Myanmar, and five others wounded.
The suspected gunman, a 14-year-old, was arrested late on Tuesday. Major General Samran Nuanma said he modified a gun designed to fire blank rounds, to enable it to use live ammunition.
Police had said the suspect had been receiving psychological treatment, but had skipped his prescribed medicine on the day of the incident.
"This case is an important case study for us. We need information from the young man," National police chief Torsak Sukvimol said in a television interview on Wednesday.
In security camera footage shared on social media, the suspected shooter is seen inside a store, kneeling on the ground in an apparent surrender.
A police officer apprehends and handcuffs an individual lying face down on the floor in the Siam Paragon mall, Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. /CMG
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the police quickly entered the mall and he has received police reports that a culprit has been apprehended.
"I am aware of the shooting event at Siam Paragon and have ordered the police to investigate. I am most worried about public safety," he posted on X social media.
Thavisin also expressed his deepest condolences to families of those who died in the shooting.
The Siam Paragon mall was put on lockdown. The motive of the shooting is still unclear.
One Chinese national was killed and another injured during a shooting at a renowned shopping mall in downtown Bangkok, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand confirmed on Tuesday.
The embassy said it activated its emergency response mechanism to verify the situation and collaborated with relevant Thai departments to handle the follow-up of the incident. Consular officers were dispatched to the scene and visited the injured in the hospital.
The identities of the victims have been confirmed, and the injured have received medical treatment and are in stable condition, the embassy added.
(With input from agencies)