Pattaya man lured, shot dead over suspected romantic dispute
A man was shot dead in Pattaya early this morning, May 10, after being lured to a meeting spot through a chat account believed to have been used to impersonate a woman he had been dating.
The shooting happened at about 3.56am in Sukhumvit Pattaya Soi 15/12 in Na Kluea subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri.
The victim, identified only as 34 year old Apichai, was found lying face down beside the road with a gunshot wound to the head.
Police recovered a .38mm shell casing from the scene while the gunman fled before officers arrived. Locals told police they heard a single gunshot before discovering the body.
A nephew of the victim, who was with him before the shooting, told investigators that Apichai had arranged to meet his girlfriend after she sent him a location pin to the area. The pair travelled there in a black sedan and found a white car already parked nearby.
While the nephew was paying the driver, a young man approached and pointed a gun at him, ordering him to stay still.
Apichai then walked towards the white sedan, expecting to meet the woman, before a man rushed towards him and a gunshot was heard moments later.
The nephew said he saw his uncle collapse before fleeing the scene in the same car and later informing relatives about the shooting.
According to Apichai’s sister, he had been in a relationship with a woman for about one year and regularly visited her. She said the family knew only that he had gone out to meet his girlfriend before the fatal shooting.
CCTV footage reviewed by police reportedly showed a white sedan arriving at the scene earlier with three young men inside. Two men wearing white shirts were seen waiting near the roadside while another man dressed in black hid in bushes nearby.
When the victim arrived, one of the men in white allegedly rushed towards him and punched him before the victim collapsed to the ground seconds later.
Footage also showed the man in black emerging from the roadside area before the group fled in the white sedan.
Investigators believed the shooting stemmed from a romantic dispute after finding information that the victim had exchanged confrontational messages with rivals through the woman before the meeting was arranged. Investigators suspect the meeting was arranged as a trap.
Siam Chon News reported that officers said they had identified suspects and were continuing efforts to locate and arrest those involved.
Similarly, a police officer was arrested after allegedly shooting a cannabis shop owner dead on Pattaya Walking Street. The victim was found with two gunshot wounds to the torso and died from his injuries at the hospital.
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