A gunman massacred 36 people at a Thai daycare, including 2-year-olds. He was fired, police say

According to Thai officials, dozens of people were slain in a mass shooting at a daycare center in the country’s northeast.

Thursday, a shooter entered a daycare center in the Na Klang district of Nong Bua Lamphu province, opened fire, and killed many people before fleeing.

In the hours that followed, authorities identified him as Panya Kamrab, a former officer who had been fired for drug use and was scheduled to appear in court the next day.

According to The New York Times, officials provided a revised death toll of 36 individuals, including 24 children, early on Friday morning. This number includes the gunman’s wife and son, who were discovered dead at their home after the incident. The shooter later committed suicide at his residence, according to officials.

A regional public relations office spokeswoman informed Bloomberg that two educators and one police officer were also slain. The Times reports that one of the murdered instructors was eight months pregnant.

According to Reuters, local police superintendent Chakkraphat Wichitvaida told Thai Rath TV that the youngest victim was two years old.

Thai police informed the BBC that the attacker shot and stabbed both children and adults during the attack. The Times stated, citing a police official, that he utilized a 9mm pistol and a knife. The weapon used in the incident was lawfully owned, according to the news source, which cited police officials.

Separately, Khaosod Online said that the gunman fled the scene in a white pickup truck.

Police issued a wanted poster with Panya’s photograph and name.

A wanted poster from the Thailand Criminal Investigations Bureau depicts Panya Kamrab, a suspect in a mass shooting at a daycare center on October 6, 2022.

Thailand CIB Image via AP

Thai police told The Times that Panya was sacked in June for taking methamphetamine and was scheduled to appear in court on Friday, the day after the killing.

In a Facebook post, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha described the tragedy as “terrible” and encouraged all agencies to assist the wounded immediately.

In Thailand, possessing an illegal handgun carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, hence mass shootings are uncommon. They are not, however, unheard of. A furious soldier killed 29 people after a 16-hour shooting spree in 2020.