Teen killed by friend in “mistake’ shooting

PHUKET CITY: Police have charged a 20-year-old man for the murder of his friend after he allegedly shot his friend in the back – accidentally – while the pair were riding through Saphan Hin on a motorbike early Thursday morning.

Phuket City Police Inspector for Investigation Lt Col Somkid Boonrat told the Gazette that the shooting took place near a stoplight near the Provincial Land Transport Office on Rattanakosin 200 Pi Rd.

Piyapong Thongsin, 20, called police about 2:30 am to report that his friend Akhom Phramthong, 17, had been shot by two assailants riding on another motorcycle.

Piyapong, riding pillion at the time, was thrown from the bike in the resulting accident and suffered numerous scrapes and bruises. He was rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital for treatment.

The body of Akhom, dressed in a blue shirt and black jeans, was taken to the hospital’s morgue.

Police noted that Akhom had been shot in the back with a single bullet, which they identified as a .38-caliber “super slug”.

During questioning, Piyapong initially said that two assailants had fired a single bullet at them before speeding off. However, he could not remember the make or license plate number of the bike, he told police.

Police noted from an examination of the body that the bullet had entered the victim’s back at point-blank range, an impossible shot by assailants while Piyapong was riding pillion.

Cornered by his own statements, Piyapong eventually confessed that it was he who fired the fatal shot, police said.

While riding pillion he had pulled out his homemade .38-caliber “pen gun” to reload. It accidentally discharged into his friend’s back, he said.

Frightened, he threw the weapon by the roadside and called the police with his invented version of events.

Col Somkid told the Gazette that Akhom was being tried for motorcycle theft at the Juvenile and Family Court at the time of his death.

“We suspect the two were riding around hoping to shoot someone from a rival gang when the shooting occurred,” he said.