Police arrest 14-year-old ‘gunman’ as Thailand mall death toll rises to 4

The death toll in a mall shooting in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday has risen to four after one person succumbed to their injuries, emergency services said.

They also said one of the wounded was a foreign national. Police have arrested a 14-year-old in connection with the incident. 

The metropolitan police detective department said on its Facebook page a 14-year-old suspected gunman had been arrested and was being questioned about the incident at the Siam Paragon mall.

Emergency services shared an image of a police officer apprehending and handcuffing an individual lying face down on a floor.

The central investigation bureau had earlier posted a grainy image on its Facebook page of an individual they said was the gunman dressed in khaki cargo pants and a baseball cap.

Unverified videos on social media showed scenes of chaos, with people, including children, running out of the mall while security guards ushered them out.

One video showed people taking cover in a darkened room inside a restaurant, while live television showed long queues of traffic outside the mall in torrential rain.

Gun violence is not uncommon in Thailand. An ex-police officer killed 22 children in a nursery last year during a gun and knife attack, and in 2020 a soldier shot and killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 in a rampage that spanned four locations in and around the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed concern over the incident.

“I am aware of the shooting event at Siam Paragon and have ordered the police to investigate. I am most worried about public safety,” he posted on X social media.

Reuters