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In Pictures: Worst mass shooting in Thailand’s history

Soldier kills at least 29 people and wounds 57 before he is fatally shot inside a shopping centre.

The Terminal 21 shopping centre in the Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima was the scene of a mass shooting that left at least 29 people dead. [Rungroj Yongrit/EPA]
The Terminal 21 shopping centre in the Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima was the scene of a mass shooting that left at least 29 people dead. [Rungroj Yongrit/EPA]
9 Feb 2020

A soldier has killed at least 29 people and wounded 57 in Thailand’s worst shooting spree before he was fatally shot inside a shopping centre in the country’s northeast on Sunday.

Jakrapanth Thomma, 32, said to be angry over a land deal, went on the rampage in the complex he fled to in a stolen Humvee after shooting his commanding officer, officials said.

Thai security forces shot and killed the rogue soldier on Sunday morning after a 16-hour standoff at the Terminal 21 shopping centre in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, a hub for Thailand’s relatively poorer rural northeastern region.

Thomma reportedly worked at an army base close to Nakhon Ratchasima, about 250km (155 miles) from the capital, Bangkok.

Thai media said the suspect was a sharpshooter and gun enthusiast who often posed with weapons on social media.

The shooter, a Thai soldier reportedly angered by a land deal gone wrong, opened fire in a house before moving to an army camp and then to the shopping centre. [Narong Sanhgnak/EPA]
The shooter, a Thai soldier reportedly angered by a land deal gone wrong, opened fire in a house before moving to an army camp and then to the shopping centre. [Narong Sanhgnak/EPA]
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A Thai police officer stands with some rescued people as he checks the list of people still trapped inside. [Narong Sanhgnak/EPA]
A Thai police officer stands with some rescued people as he checks the list of people still trapped inside. [Narong Sanhgnak/EPA]
Rescue workers outside the Terminal 21 shopping complex. [Dene Chen/AFP]
Rescue workers outside the Terminal 21 shopping complex. [Dene Chen/AFP]
The soldier was armed with an assault weapon and ammunition stolen from the army base's arsenal, an official said. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
The soldier was armed with an assault weapon and ammunition stolen from the army base's arsenal, an official said. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
Thai security forces evacuate students who had been stranded inside the Terminal 21 complex. [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]
Thai security forces evacuate students who had been stranded inside the Terminal 21 complex. [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]
It took police sharpshooters 16 hours to end the crisis. [Rungroj Yongrit/EPA]
It took police sharpshooters 16 hours to end the crisis. [Rungroj Yongrit/EPA]
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Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world but mass shootings by soldiers targeting civilians are rare. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world but mass shootings by soldiers targeting civilians are rare. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
The gunman wrote on his Facebook page earlier in the day that 'death is inevitable for everyone'. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
The gunman wrote on his Facebook page earlier in the day that 'death is inevitable for everyone'. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
Forensic officers outside the Terminal 21 Korat shopping centre in Nakhon Ratchasima. [Wason Wanichakorn/AP Photo]
Forensic officers outside the Terminal 21 Korat shopping centre in Nakhon Ratchasima. [Wason Wanichakorn/AP Photo]
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