MGR Online — A classmate has revealed that the perpetrator was a quiet person whom nobody bullied, but that he had previously brought a BB gun to school and had it confiscated by a teacher. The friend said the shooter used to complain about the Thai-language teacher assigning too much homework and giving him a failing grade of zero.
Today (8 Aug.), at Plaibang Police Station in Nonthaburi Province, a reporter covered the latest developments in the shooting at Debsirin School in Bang Kruai District, Nonthaburi Province, and spoke with a close friend of the perpetrator after police had finished questioning the friend. The friend disclosed details after receiving permission from his parents to speak.
"Mark" (a pseudonym) provided information about the perpetrator's behaviour, describing him as a quiet person who rarely spoke to anyone and usually sat at the far left corner at the back of the classroom. The friend stated emphatically that the perpetrator had never been bullied, teased, or physically harmed by any classmate — this he could say with certainty, having been friends with him from Grade 7 through Grade 9. He added that he had no knowledge of the perpetrator's primary school years. He also said that information being shared online claiming the perpetrator had once been kicked into a bathroom or bullied over a long period was entirely false.
When the reporter asked whether the perpetrator had ever expressed anger toward any particular person at school, or had vented anything to his friends, Mark confirmed that the perpetrator harboured no grudges against and had not quarrelled with any classmate. To his knowledge, the only problem the perpetrator had was with "Teacher Orasa," the Thai-language teacher. The perpetrator had complained that he could not keep up with the homework, that there was too much of it, and that the teacher had genuinely given him a zero in Thai language. He had tried to have the zero revised on multiple occasions before finally managing to pass the subject, and had been complaining about it the whole time.
Regarding weapons, Mark acknowledged that in the past the perpetrator had brought a short BB gun in his bag to show off and shoot around with at school, until a classmate reported him, causing a teacher to confiscate the gun and deduct conduct points in accordance with school rules.
Mark also recounted what happened on the day of the incident. Before the shooting, all students — including the perpetrator — had lined up for the national flag ceremony and then gone to class as normal. The incident took place during the second period (mathematics), while the teacher was going over homework and preparing to tutor students for an upcoming exam.
About ten minutes into the lesson, the perpetrator put on earplugs and stood up from his desk at the back of the room, walked to the front of the classroom carrying a bag of ammunition, and stopped in front of the teacher.
He then immediately opened fire on the mathematics teacher. He then left the room and proceeded to shoot a teacher in another classroom. At that point, Mark said he tried to find somewhere to take cover. There had been no warning signs or any signs of tension before the shooting began.
Police officers are currently working to gather additional evidence and question further witnesses in order to thoroughly determine the true cause and motive behind the attack.
