The suspect who was identified as Sergeant-Major Jakrapanth Thomma by the police, opened fire at Terminal 21 mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima. (Source: Twitter)
Minutes after a Thai soldier went on a shooting rampage in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima in northeast of Thailand killing nearly 20 people, several videos of the shooter walking around a shopping mall complex surfaced on Twitter.
The suspect, who was identified as Sergeant-Major Jakrapanth Thomma by the police, opened fire in the Terminal 21 mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima. The defence ministry spokesperson Kongcheep Tantrawanit, however, did not give news agency Reuters, a figure for the number of wounded.
Hours before the incident, the suspect posted an update on his Facebook timeline, saying “No one can escape death”. During the rampage, he posted, “Should I give up?”. In another post, he wrote, “I have stopped already.”
The shooter with the HK33 in the mall. Very relaxed.#Thailand#กราดยิงโคราช pic.twitter.com/HFIyM0wxEr
— Pakistani Hawk (@SirajMumin) February 8, 2020
More from #Thailand #shooting pic.twitter.com/zekoOrXTTZ
— Ringo Lennon (@Eddie20937506) February 8, 2020
Moots, please spend a few seconds reading this. A massacre happened in Korat (a city in the north eastern part of Thailand) and there were old people as well as really young kids involved in the situation. I hope everyone is safe. #PrayForKorat pic.twitter.com/zzSy96Ay7x
— minhee’s freckles (@hwangguemmini) February 8, 2020
In a CCTV footage, the suspect can be seen walking around the mall with a gun in his hand. The man appeared to be armed with an assault rifle, AFP reported. The incident began at about 3:30 pm and lasted for nearly 5 hours.
Local media showed footage of the soldier getting out of a car in front of a shopping mall and firing a round of shots, sending people scurrying for cover.
The shooter had initially gone to a house in the city and shot two people dead before going to the weapons store on an Army base and taking a new gun, Reuters quoted local police as saying.
-with agency inputs