In Pictures

Gallery|Gun Violence

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.

epa08204502 A bullet shell is seen on the street at the scene of a mass shooting at the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 09 February 2020. According to media reports, at least
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]
Published On 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.

epa08203520 Armed Thai soldiers on guard behind a defensive line outside the mall, after a suspected Thai soldier opened fire in a rampage at the Terminal 21, a shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima prov
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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epa08203893 Thai police officer (C) stands with some rescued people as he checks the list of people still trapped within the incident, after a suspected Thai soldier opened fire in a rampage at the Te
A Thai police officer stands with some rescued people as he checks the list of people still trapped inside. [Narong Sanhgnak/EPA]
Rescue workers sit outside the Terminal 21 mall, where a mass shooting took place and the gunman is currently still hiding, in the Thai northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima on February 9, 2020. - A
Rescue workers outside the Terminal 21 shopping complex. [Dene Chen/AFP]
Soldiers exit Terminal 21 shopping mall after completing their mission following a gun battle involving a Thai soldier on a shooting rampage, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand February 9, 2020. REUTERS/S
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 stranded inside the Terminal 21 shopping mall following a gun battle to try to stop a soldier on a rampage after a mass shooting, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Feb
Thai security forces evacuate students who had been stranded inside the Terminal 21 complex. [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]
epa08204356 Soldiers evacuate a hostage from the scene of a mass shooting at the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 09 February 2020. According to media reports, at least 21 peo
It took police sharpshooters 16 hours to end the crisis. [Rungroj Yongrit/EPA]
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A bullet shell is seen in front of the Terminal 21 shopping mall following a gun battle involving a Thai soldier on a shooting rampage, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zey
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]
SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Shoes belonging to victims and blood stains are seen in front of the Terminal 21 shopping mall following a gun battle involving a Thai soldi
The gunman wrote on his Facebook page earlier in the day that 'death is inevitable for everyone'. [Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters]
Forensic officers inspect a shooting scene outside the Terminal 21 Korat mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. Thai officials say a soldier who went on a shooting rampage and kill
Forensic officers outside the Terminal 21 Korat shopping centre in Nakhon Ratchasima. [Wason Wanichakorn/AP Photo]