Thai man shot dead by stray bullet while riding motorcycle near Bangkok
A Thai man lost his life to a stray bullet while riding a motorcycle on a road in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok. The gunman was later arrested and admitted that the shot missed his original target, a rival truck driver.
The 24 year old victim, Suppakorn, was shot in the head at around 7pm yesterday, November 21. The shooting took place as Suppakorn and his girlfriend, 23 year old Sudarat, were riding a motorbike on Bang Phli-Tam Lu Road in Samut Prakanr province. They were on their way to a hospital because Sudarat was ill.
Suppakorn was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save his life. His girlfriend did not know where the gunshot came from. Officers from Bang Pu Police Station checked CCTV cameras on the road and spotted the gunman, 26 year old Burapha. Officers later arrested Burapha at his home in the province around 9pm.
Burapha claimed he had not intended to shoot Suppakorn. He was aiming at the driver of a truck but the shot hit Suppakorn, who was riding nearby.
Burapha explained that he was driving his pickup on Bang Phli-Tam Lu Road when a truck driver, who had previously had a conflict with him, honked at him and drove close to the back of his pickup.
Burapha said he decided to park at a petrol station to avoid the conflict but the truck driver followed him and approached his vehicle with an iron bar in his hand. He brandished his gun to threaten the truck driver to return to his truck before continuing with his journey.
Truck driver shootout
The truck driver did not give up and continued his pursuit, following him closely and honking his horn again. Burapha said he decided to shoot at the truck driver but the bullet hit the motorcycle victim. He said he was sorry for the shooting and apologised to the victim’s family.
Burapha’s 47 year old uncle, Damrat, said Burapha was a very good person and had never been involved with drugs. Damrat said his nephew had to carry a gun to protect himself because he had a business and carried a lot of cash.
Damrat said the only problem in Burapha’s life was his temper but he had never caused such a big problem before. Damrat said Burapha was tough and never gave up fighting but he was confident his nephew would always do the right thing.
Damrat said Burapha did not mean to kill the victim but he understood that the victim’s family was angry. He thought the death was about karma. Everything happens for a reason.
The superintendent of Bang Pu Police Station, Pisut Chantarasuwan, said Burapha had been charged with premeditated murder and officers had denied him bail. He was also found to be carrying a gun without a permit, so he faces further charges of illegal possession of a gun and carrying a gun in a public place without a permit.
Burapha faces penalties including:
- Section 288 of the Criminal Law: intentional murder. The penalty will be 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.
- Section 8 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosive, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearm: carrying a gun in a public place without permission and necessary. The punishment will be imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
