Mystery surrounds photographer’s murder
PHUKET CITY: A freelance photographer was gunned down on October 21 while watching TV in his house behind Suan Luang park.
Pol Sub Lt Aumporn Musikapan of the Phuket City Police Station named the victim as Thavil Laksanavimol, 36, from Nakorn Sri Thammarat Province.
He was watching TV at about 10:15 pm with the 14-year-old daughter of a neighbor when his assailant, who must have been hiding outside the doorway, appeared and fired one shotgun blast from a range of about two meters, hitting K. Thavil in the neck and right shoulder.
He was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at at 00:45 am.
The girl was unable to identify the murderer because her back was turned to the doorway.
Police are working on the assumption that the murderer was not a professional hitman because he left behind a pair of sandals that he had apparently removed in order to hasten his retreat from the victim’s home, which was muddy and slippery outside, Lt Aumporn added.
“We don’t yet know how long K. Thavil lived in Phuket or whether he owned the home or rented it. We do know that he was a freelance photographer, but that he didn’t take photos for the press.
“His wife told us she didn’t believe the killing was work-related because K. Thavil had never mentioned any problems with his work,” Lt Aumporn said.
