In a shocking incident, a Thai para-athlete and former soldier shot dead his bride and three others at his own wedding, before turning the gun towards himself, according to the police. The 29-year-old Chaturong Suksuk married Kanchana Panchunthuek (44) on Saturday in Wang Nam Khieo district of northeast Thailand, reported BBC.
The groom left his wedding party abruptly and returned with a firearm later to shoot his wife, her 62-year-old mother and 38-year-old sister, while stray bullets hit two other guests. One of the injured guests died.
Although a clear motive for the shooting has not been established yet, the police said that Chaturong was "quite intoxicated at the time", adding that he purchased the gun and ammunition legally last year.
Thai media reports said that Chaturong did not look happy at the party and had an argument with Kanchana at the party. He reportedly felt insecure about the age gap between him and his wife.
Chaturong and Kanchana had lived together for three years before they married. The groom won a silver medal at the ASEAN Para Games held in Indonesia in 2022 in swimming and was considered to be on the list of athletes in the World Abilitysport Games in Thailand in December.
Chaturong lost his right leg while serving in the Thai paramilitary light infantry force. The leg was run over by a train and had to be amputated, Sky News reported citing the police. The incident comes just days after Thai Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed an order to ban gun licences for a year.
Gun violence in Thailand
Although gun violence is not uncommon in Thailand, mass shootings are rare in the country. However, the country has marked an uptick in gun violence in recent times.
In early October, at least three people were killed in a shooting at a shopping mall in Thailand's capital Bangkok, according to medics. A 14-year-old suspect using a handgun was arrested on the spot. At least six others were injured in the shooting at Siam Paragon Mall.
This incident occurred days before Thais were planning to mark the anniversary after a disgruntled former police officer killed 36 people, including preschoolers and teachers, before taking his own life on October 6 last year.
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