Man arrested for shooting transwoman girlfriend at Bangkok condo
Police arrested a Thai man at a condominium in Bangkok after he shot his transwoman girlfriend in the neck. The victim survived the attack, although she remains in critical condition.
Officers from Din Deang Police Station rushed to the condominium on Pracha Songkhro Road in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok after being notified about the shooting in the early morning yesterday. Upon arrival, officers discovered the 27 year old transwoman, Isorn Chanda, lying in the middle of the room with a serious gunshot wound to the back of her neck.
The gunman, Isorn’s 28 year old boyfriend, Nikhom Meesook, did not flee the scene, instead, he anxiously paced the room where his girlfriend lay injured. In a state of nervous tension, he resorted to smoking cigarettes and consuming a kratom beverage during the police investigation.
During questioning, Nikhom claimed that the couple had a heated argument and he shot her with a pen gun before discarding the weapon into the drainage system in front of the condo.
Determined to recover the discarded gun, rescue workers meticulously scoured the drainage area but were unable to locate any traces of the weapon even after a few hours of searching. However, the police found out that Nikhom was lying and discovered the actual firearm used in the crime cleverly concealed within the bathroom ceiling.
The condominium manager named Nuch reported that the owner and team carefully checked the criminal history of each resident and banned those who were not condo members. However, the transwoman victim did not inform the condo about her boyfriend staying there.
Nuch said this violated condo protocol and was harmful to other residents. She would contact the victim’s relatives to move her belongings and assets out of the condo.
Nikhom was taken to the police station for further questioning. He was initially charged with attempted murder. According to Section 288 of the Criminal Laws: whoever murders others shall be punished with life imprisonment or imprisonment from 15 to 20 years. The attempted murder will result in half of the punishment of Section 288. The real motive of the murder is under investigation.
Police believe the incident may be attributed to the excessive consumption of kratom. Kratom contains a chemical compound called mitragynine, which has been known to induce hallucinations, vivid dreams, dizziness, and profuse sweating.
