Nong bua lamphu: A manhunt is underway for a suspect who went on a shooting rampage in Nong Bua Lamphu, injuring two people, including a police sergeant and a village headman. The authorities have cordoned off a sugarcane field where the suspect is believed to be hiding.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident took place at Ban Huai Ham Tang, Tambon Pa Mai Ngam, Mueang District. The suspect, identified as Mr. A (pseudonym), 38, opened fire from the second floor of a wooden house using a .22 caliber rifle. He shot Mr. Itthiphon Thiankham, a sub-district and village headman, striking him in the back of his left thigh. Mr. Itthiphon was subsequently taken to Nong Bua Lamphu Hospital for treatment.
Attempts to negotiate with Mr. A were met with resistance as he continued to fire shots. Pol. Col. Krit Pattala, Deputy Commander of Nong Bua Lamphu Provincial Police, was also targeted during the negotiation, sustaining a bruise from a bullet that grazed his right calf. Despite efforts to persuade Mr. A to surrender, including deploying floodlights, the suspect remained defiant, intermittently firing from the house.
The suspect’s mother revealed that her son had been drinking heavily throughout the day. With a history of drug use, Mr. A became agitated when community leaders attempted to calm him. Though he initially promised to cease his disruptive behavior, he later resumed his aggression, shooting at the officers and injuring the village headman.
Authorities report that Mr. A has since fled, using his familiarity with the area to escape into a nearby sugarcane field. The police have been actively searching for the suspect, who remains at large nearly 20 hours after the incident began.