Police officer confesses to fatally shooting Burmese man in hospital

A police sergeant confessed to fatally shooting a Burmese man at Khon Kaen Hospital in Isaan on June 6. He accused the deceased of bothering his father, who was a patient in the bed next to the victim.

The deceased, 29 year old Kyaw Swar Aong, was shot dead in his hospital bed at around 11pm on June 6. His Thai girlfriend suspected the fatal shooting stemmed from a 12,000 baht debt borrowed from Kyaw Swar Aong’s colleague.

Officers from Mueang Khon Kaen Police Station visited Kyaw Swar Aong’s workplace to meet his mentioned colleague but the man was not present at the location. Subsequently, officers reviewed security camera footage and identified a suspicious man who had impersonated the victim’s friend. This individual had inquired about the victim’s whereabouts at the hospital counter prior to the shooting.

Regrettably, the perpetrator was not the debtor as suspected by the victim’s girlfriend, but rather Police Sergeant Weeraphong Buayen. Witnesses to the incident also confirmed to the officers that Weeraphong was indeed the gunman.

As police officers gather evidence and prepare to issue an arrest warrant, Weeraphong’s mother, having seen a picture of her son on social media, persuaded him to surrender himself yesterday, June 9.

Weeraphong claimed he first met the victim in a male ward on the fifth floor of building number 5 before the victim was moved to a male ward on the fifth floor of building number 6, where the shooting took place.

According to Weeraphong, Kyaw Swar Aong was in the hospital bed next to his father in building number 5. The father told Weeraphong that Kyaw Swar Aong bothered him constantly, preventing him from sleeping.

Weeraphong stated that Kyaw Swar Aong appeared to be a troublemaker and that he disliked him from their first meeting. Weeraphong admitted to shooting the Burmese man but did not know why he decided to kill him.

Thai Post reported that Weeraphong served at Pra Yuen Police Station in Khon Kaen province. He suffers from depression and was stressed and panicked during questioning, refusing to reenact the crime at the hospital. He reportedly receives regular treatment for his depression and takes medication consistently.

Weeraphong is facing two charges including:

• Section 288 of the Criminal Law: intentional murder. The penalty is the death penalty, life imprisonment or imprisonment from 15 to 20 years.
• Section 7 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosive, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearm: possessing a gun without permission. The punishment will be imprisonment for up to 10 years, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.

ORIGINAL STORY: Deadly debt dispute: Burmese man shot at Khon Kaen hospital

A gunman shot dead a Burmese man last night while the victim was receiving treatment and awaiting surgery at Khon Kaen Hospital in Isaan. The suspected motive behind the murder is believed to be related to debt.

The fatal shooting occurred in a male ward on the fifth floor of a building at Khon Kaen Hospital around 11pm last night, June 6. The Burmese deceased, 29 year old, Kyaw Swar Aong, was shot in the back of his neck. Medical workers tried to save his life but were unsuccessful.

The victim’s Thai girlfriend told Channel 7 that her boyfriend was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, June 5, due to a tumour on his back. He was waiting for surgery to remove the tumour today, June 7. She was at the hospital caring for him until the shooting took place.

The girlfriend maintained that she was unaware of the motive behind the shooting. She stressed that jealousy or extramarital affairs were not factors, citing their four-year relationship without any disagreements on such issues.

Additionally, the girlfriend revealed that her boyfriend had never been involved in conflicts with friends or colleagues. However, she noted that he had borrowed 12,000 baht from a colleague in the past, suggesting that debt might be the motive for the murder.

Mueang Khon Kaen Police Station Superintendent Yotsawat Karesuebthayanich reported that the gunman pretended to be Kyaw Swar Aong’s relative and asked medical workers about the victim’s location, claiming he wanted to visit.

According to Yotsawat, officers went to Kyaw Swar Aong’s workplace to meet his colleague from whom he had borrowed money but the person was not present. Officers are now searching for this person, believing he may be involved in the murder.

In a related report, another shooting occurred at Cha-am Hospital in the southern province of Phetchaburi in April. In this case, police officers shot and injured a Thai man after he brought drugs and a weapon into the hospital and began causing chaos.