Stolen gun leads to death of 14 year old boy in southern Thailand

A 14 year old boy stole a gun from his retired police officer grandfather yesterday, leading to the accidental shooting and tragic death of his friend at his residence in the southern Trang province.

Rescue officers from the Ruam Jai Yan Ta Khao team received a distress call yesterday, October 10, reporting what was believed to be a fireworks explosion at a property located on Soi Sunthong Uthit in the Ya Ta Khao sub-district of Trang province. Upon reaching the scene, the rescuers discovered three teenage boys in a state of shock, with one injured boy found on the second floor of the house.

Although the three boys claimed their friend had sustained injuries due to a fireworks accident, the rescuers harboured suspicions. They promptly notified the Yan Ta Khao Police Station and focused their attention on the injured boy.

The injured boy was rushed to the hospital, but regrettably, he succumbed to his injuries during transit. Meanwhile, the remaining three boys took the opportunity to leave the house but were later summoned to the police station for further questioning.

After questioning, the superintendent of Yan ta Khao Police Station, Phumsak Sengsae, reported that the four boys were close friends and often gathered at the house. On the day of the incident, one of the boys brought the weapon, a Colt 11mm automatic pistol, to the house. He showed it to his friends and accidentally shot one of them.

According to the police report, the gun had been stolen from his grandfather, a retired police officer, three months earlier. The retired policeman had filed a complaint about the missing gun and did not know that his grandchild had taken the weapon.

Wirat Sada, a 58 year old Thai man, informed the police that he was the uncle of one of the boys in the group. Typically, they would assemble at the house, but he admitted he would not closely monitor their activities. His attention was primarily fixated on the television, and the sounds of the shots went almost unnoticed due to the background noise originating from a nearby construction site.

The police have charged one boy with stealing the gun. He could face life imprisonment, 15 to 20 years’ imprisonment or the death penalty for the murder.

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