A 14-year-old boy was arrested for a shooting spree that left two people dead and five others injured at Siam Paragon shopping centre in Bangkok.
The two individuals killed in the Bangkok mall shooting have been identified as Chinese and Burmese nationals.
Authorities confirmed that the shooter responsible for this incident is a 14-year-old boy who attended a school nearby. Police arrived on the scene and managed to disarm the teenage shooter. However, several people had already been wounded by the time authorities secured the area.
The motive behind the teenager’s actions remains unclear. Investigators must piece together the events leading up to the shooting.
Eyewitnesses inside the Siam Paragon mall described the terror that gripped shoppers as they heard multiple gunshots. Shoppers desperately fled for the exits, their priority being to find safety amid the chaos.
Social media platforms were inundated with footage capturing the pandemonium inside the mall as crowds frantically fled, guided by security guards. One video from the lower floor’s food court depicted a staff member seeking refuge behind a dessert counter amid sounds resembling gunfire.
Another video showed terrified shoppers huddled together in a darkened room within a restaurant.
Outside, live television coverage captured extensive traffic jams aggravated by heavy rainfall. Ambulances faced difficulties navigating through the heavy rush hour traffic that had accumulated outside the mall.
Thai media reported that the shots originated from a mall toilet, adding to the confusion and fear among shoppers and employees.
In response to the Bangkok mall shooting, Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed his concern on Twitter and ordered an immediate police investigation. He underscored the importance of public safety.
Thailand has experienced an increasing number of mass shootings in recent years.
Last October, the country was left reeling when 22 innocent children lost their lives in a gun and knife attack by a former police officer at a nursery in Utthai Sawan. Another shooting incident in Nakhon Ratchasima in 2020, where 29 people lost their lives, and 57 others were injured.
The present incident has prompted some individuals on social media to call for the implementation of an emergency SMS function that can swiftly alert the public in the event of such shootings.
Siam Paragon is one of the most famous malls in Bangkok, a city already known for its numerous shopping centres.
