Panya Kamrab is a former Thai police officer who is accused of the mass murder of at least 30 people, including small children knifed in a daycare, in Thailand. Graphic photos emerged of the massacre’s aftermath, and videos showed distraught parents at the scene.
“The death toll from the shooting incident… is at least 30 people,” Anucha Burapachaisri, a spokesman for the Thai prime minister’s office, said to Al-Arabiya.
Twenty-three children are among the dead, ages 2 to 3 years old, according to that news site. BBC put the death toll at 37. Some sites gave the suspect’s name as Panya Khamrab or Panya Kamrap.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Kamrab Was a Police Lieutenant Colonel Dismissed for Drug Use
According to Al-Arabiya, Kamrab was terminated from his position as a police lieutenant colonel last year because of his drug use.
Kamrab took his own life while on the run, according to Bangkok Post.
Reuters reported that Kamrab was facing “a trial on drug charges.”
He was in court right before the rampage, which started when he went to the daycare center to pick up his child, Reuters reported. His child wasn’t there.
2. The Gunman ‘Burst’ Into a Childcare Center
According to Bangkok Post, the gunman “burst nto a childcare centre in Na Klang district of Nong Bua Lam Phu” on October 6, 2022, a Thursday.
He was armed with a knife and gun, the site reported.
A teacher who survived the attack told Thailand’s Thairath TV that Kamrab “used to drop off his child at the nursery and had seemed polite,” BBC reported.
According to BBC, Kamrab attacked some of the victims as they slept.
“The shooter came in around lunchtime and shot four or five officials at the childcare centre first,” a local official, Jidapa Boonsom told Reuters.
“At first people thought it was fireworks,” she said to Reuters. He then forced his way into the room where children were sleeping. One of the woman murdered was eight months pregnant, Reuters reported.
3. Kamrab Murdered His Wife & Son
22 children among 34 killed in Thailand daycare shooting t.co/V4dnUHIcB6
Kamrab also attacked his own family. He murdered his wife and son as part of the massacre, ABC News reported.
ABC News reported that victims were found in five different locations. CNN reported that the suspect also targeted bystanders on his way home from the daycare center.
The murdered child was his stepson, according to CNN.
“I am shocked to hear of the horrific events in Thailand this morning. My thoughts are with all those affected and the first responders. The UK stands with the Thai people at this terrible time,” British Prime Minister Liz Truss tweeted.
4. Most of the Children Were Stabbed to Death; Police Are Testing the Suspect’s Blood for Drugs
According to Reuters, quoting a police spokesperson, Kamrab “started shooting, slashing, killing children at the Utai Sawan daycare centre.”
Some of the children were stabbed to death, Reuters reported.
“Regarding the motivation, the police have not ruled out any possibilities, it could be from personal stress, or a hallucination from drugs, we have ordered a blood test,” the Royal Thai police said, according to CNN.
“After we have seen the wounds of the deaths, most of the deaths are from stabbing wounds. I have told you earlier that he had several guns. It turned out he had only about 1-2 guns,” police chief Maj. General Paisan Luesomboon told CNN.
5. The Suspect Was Known for Taking Drugs ‘for Years’
38 shot dead yesterday, 26 of them children. An ex police officer opened fire at a daycare in Thailand. He killed himself before cops arrived
Kamrab “managed to get into a room where 24 kids were sleeping together. All but one of the kids died in that room. He also used a knife to stab both children and staff at the center,” Luesomboon said to CNN.
The police official told CNN that the suspect “has been on drugs and he has a record of taking drugs for years.”
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