Dozens Dead in Attack on Day Care Center in Thailand

Authorities say ex-cop killed wife, child, himself after rampage
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 6, 2022 4:23 AM CDT
Updated Oct 6, 2022 7:16 AM CDT
At Least 30 Killed in Mass Shooting at Thai Day Care Center
The Thailand Criminal Investigations Bureau released this photo of the suspect.   (Thailand CIB via AP Photo)

This story has been updated with new developments. A former police officer in northeast Thailand killed more than 30 people in a shooting and stabbing rampage Thursday, including at least 23 children at a preschool day care center, authorities say. Officials say 34-year-old Panya Kamrab attacked the center in Nong Bua Lamphu province around lunchtime and started the rampage by killing four or five staff members, including a teacher who was eight months pregnant, reports Reuters. Police say the gunman fled the center in a pickup truck after the massacre and killed his wife and child, then himself, while a manhunt was underway.

Police, who put the death toll at 38 at a news conference Thursday, said the attacker was armed with a shotgun, a pistol, and a knife. The victims were as young as 2 years old, the Guardian reports. Police officials said the gunman was fired from the police force last year for drug-related reasons. A police spokesman said the shooter attended court on a drugs charge before the attack. Mass shootings are relatively rare in Thailand despite high levels of gun ownership, though a soldier killed 26 people in a shooting spree in early 2020. The New York Times reports that Thursday's attack was the deadliest mass shooting ever carried out by a single perpetrator in Thailand. (More Thailand stories.)

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