Thai man wanted for fatally shooting friend in Samut Prakan condo

A Thai man escaped after fatally shooting his friend in a condo in Samut Prakan province, near Bangkok, yesterday. The motive is still under investigation.

At around 6pm yesterday, September 8, officers from Samrongnuea Police Station and rescuers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation were called to the murder scene, a room on the first floor of an apartment in Soi Si Darn 5, in the Dan Samrong district of Samut Prakan.

The deceased was identified as 31 year old Thai man, Piyanat. He was found wearing a T-shirt and shorts, lying on his back with a gunshot wound in the centre of his chest.

A 40 year old maid, Nipawan, told the police that the killer was Piyanat’s friend, 42 year old Boonrit Iawkuan. The two opened an automotive film shop together. Boonrit lived on the first floor of the apartment for over a year, while Piyanat moved in a month ago.

Nipawan disclosed that she heard the two engaged in a heated argument in Piyanat’s room on the second floor. She heard the sound of a glass window breaking before Boonrit left Piyanat’s room and went downstairs to his own. Piyanat followed him, and the shooting suddenly took place.

Boonrit’s girlfriend stated that she was not present when the incident occurred. She only knew that Boonrit left the apartment in his black pickup truck. She had just begun a relationship with Boonrit and was unaware of any conflict between the two men.

The police are now gathering evidence to request an arrest warrant for Boonrit. His escape route and the motive for the murder are still under investigation.

In a related report, a Thai man shot and killed his best friend in their shared room in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan in May. The killer later surrendered to the police, revealing that he suspected his best friend of having an affair with his 14 year old girlfriend and eventually discovered it to be true.

In another case, a Thai man confessed to killing his friend by drowning him in a pond in the central province of Nakhon Sawan in July. The murderer claimed the crime was motivated by a love triangle, stating that both he and the victim fell in love with the same woman, so he felt he had to eliminate his rival.