A 14-year-old boy opened fire at Debsirin School in Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok, on Friday morning, killing five teachers and injuring 23 people before turning the weapon on himself, according to police.

Survivor Describes the Moment of the Shooting

A seventh grader, still in her school uniform and accompanied by her mother, told the BBC that she was standing in front of her teacher when the shooter arrived. ‘She was talking to me when [the gunman] showed up,’ the girl said, describing how the shooter moved from room to room inside the school.

Her mother said the girl feared for her life during the incident. ‘[She said] ‘I thought I’d never see you again’,’ the mother added.

Another student, 18 years old, described the confusion at the beginning of the attack. ‘I didn’t think it was a gun at first,’ he told Reuters. ‘There were many shots: bang bang bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again.’

Rescue Efforts and Injuries

Paramedics were seen loading the wounded into ambulances near the school gates, as crowds gathered and expressed shock at the violence. Rescue worker Kiatikhun Verapongpradith, 47, arrived at the scene after learning children as young as 12 had been hurt.

‘I saw students who had been shot, some in the arm, some in the back, some in the chest. So I rushed to help get them to the hospital first,’ he told Reuters.

One grieving teacher told the BBC that a friend of his was among the dead. ‘She was my age. We went to this school together as students. Then we both became teachers at this school,’ the 31-year-old said, declining to give his name.

Investigation and Motive Unclear

Police have not yet released a motive for the shooting, but they believe the 9mm handgun used belonged to the shooter’s grandfather. Forensic officers noted that the shooter’s aim was accurate, with several shots hitting vital spots on victims.

Education authorities described the shooter as an avid gamer and a good student with no history of aggression. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul suggested that the shooter may have been under stress, noting that his grandmother was a strict teacher.

‘We learned that his grandmother was a teacher and she might have been strict with him. From what the police gathered from his close friend, they knew he was quite stressed about it,’ Anutin said.

Authorities will have many questions to answer in the coming days, including what changes are needed to prevent future incidents.

This is Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting in years and the second at a school this year. In February, an 18-year-old gunman killed a head teacher and a female student during a school siege in southern Thailand.

Four years ago, a 34-year-old man killed 37 people, most preschoolers, in a shooting and stabbing at a nursery in Nong Bua Lamphu province. These incidents have reignited discussions about gun control in the country.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, called for a serious review of gun control measures in a Facebook post. ‘An act of violence in an educational institution, which should be one of the safest places in our society, serves as a stark reminder for Thai society to seriously and systematically review gun control measures,’ he wrote.