Stepson killed in family quarrel

KARON: A man accidentally shot his stepson yesterday at 5:30 pm during an argument about ownership of a motorcycle. Kasean Maneethat, 63, who manages the Tommy Big Bike rental shop in Karon, told the Gazette that his stepson, 37-year-old Danupol Wongthai, bought a 100,000-baht motorcycle in Bangkok with money from his mother. Kasean said, “Yesterday, when I asked him why he bought the bike in his wife’s name, he got very angry. He punched me until I fell to the ground. “Then Danupol came towards me with a spare tailpipe from a bike,” he added, “so I stood up and took out my pistol just to warn him, but not to hurt him.” Kasean told the Gazette that Danupol tried to snatch the .22 mm pistol from him, and Danupol’s mother was struggling to get between the two men when the gun went off. “I don’t know who pulled the trigger,” Kasean said. According to Kasean, Danupol hit the ground with a bullet wound on the right side of his chest, so Kasean called the police. Danupol died on the way to the hospital. Pol Maj Sa-ne Panmee from Chalong Police Station later charged Kasean with negligent manslaughter. Kasean and his family have operated their motorbike rental business on Thaina Road for six years.