Friday 13th: Instructor shot dead at rifle range - beginner student thought it wasn't a live round

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Friday 13th proved to be very unlucky for a rifle range instructor after he was shot dead by a beginner student yesterday.

 

Klong 5 police in Pathum Thani north of the Thai capital Bangkok went with rescue services to the 333 Range in Klong Luang at 11.30 am.

 

There Lt-Col Somboon Khopkhokkruat found 37 year old Charnchai Lunseup from Phetchabun unconscious after being shot in the shoulder with a 9 mm gun used at the range in an area for beginners.

 

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Picture: Thai Rath

 

Rescue services gave CPR and transported the victim to Thanyaburi Hospital but he could not be revived and died there.

 

A Glock 19 was taken into evidence as police photgraphed the scene and gathered witness statements.

 

The person who fired the gun was a 50 year old student named only as Thacha. 

 

She said she thought that it was a dummy round after picking up a bullet mixed with others on the floor, reported Thai Rath. 

 

She was taken to the police station for questioning but as yet no charges have been filed. 

 

An autopsy is underway. 

 

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[Cabradelmar]

I own handguns. I shoot IDPA and have been to many ranges with many instructors, and never have I used or even seen a "dummy" round. The gun is either loaded or it's not. Your job is to know which it is. Why would this even happen? This confusion about the round being live or not. Or is the only dummy here the person who shot the instructor.

[AwwYesNice1]

2 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

I own handguns. I shoot IDPA and have been to many ranges with many instructors, and never have I used or even seen a "dummy" round. The gun is either loaded or it's not. Your job is to know which it is. Why would this even happen? This confusion about the round being live or not. Or is the only dummy here the person who shot the instructor.

Or even had the guy pointed anywhere but downrange.

 

 

[Shuya]

21 minutes ago, webfact said:

She said she thought that it was a dummy round

Guess the round was not the dummy here

[JeffersLos]

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

An autopsy is underway. 

My guess is it was due to being shot. 

[KhunLA]

"She said she thought that it was a dummy round after picking up a bullet mixed with others on the floor"  ????????

 

I hope that is lost in translation.

Edited May 14, 2022 by KhunLA

[Henryford]

Even if it was a dummy why did she aim at the instructor and fire?

[darksidedog]

I guess the instructor never told her the very first rule of never pointing a gun at anyone, whether it is loaded or not.

[Wiggy]

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

She was taken to the police station for questioning but as yet no charges have been filed. 

They need to check her bank balance and ‘know who she is’ first to decide whether to press charges, or not.

[Wiggy]

9 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Even if it was a dummy why did she aim at the instructor and fire?

Because she’s a halfwit?

[Reposed]

39 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

I own handguns. I shoot IDPA and have been to many ranges with many instructors, and never have I used or even seen a "dummy" round. The gun is either loaded or it's not. Your job is to know which it is. Why would this even happen? This confusion about the round being live or not. Or is the only dummy here the person who shot the instructor.

The gun is always loaded.

[spidermike007]

She said she thought that it was a dummy round after picking up a bullet mixed with others on the floor, reported Thai Rath. She was taken to the police station for questioning but as yet no charges have been filed. 

 

Huh? Even if she thought it was a "dummy round", why would she be pointing the gun at the instructor, then firing the gun? And why would a gun have blanks at a firing range? So many unanswered questions. Looks like manslaughter to me. 

[Lemsta69]

16 minutes ago, Reposed said:

The gun is always loaded.

unless you're Alec Baldwin and then it's everyone else's fault ????

[Lemsta69]

maybe she's Thailand's version of Mrs. Smith.

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Cabradelmar said:

I own handguns. I shoot IDPA and have been to many ranges with many instructors, and never have I used or even seen a "dummy" round. The gun is either loaded or it's not. Your job is to know which it is. Why would this even happen? This confusion about the round being live or not. Or is the only dummy here the person who shot the instructor.

And 'students' stotally supervised at all times and not allowed to just pick up rounds from the floor an assume anything!

 

I recall my weapons training / live firing in the early days of national service training. Totally structured and supervised. Students not allowed to do anything except exactly what they were told to do and supervised to do. And after every round fired students cannot move at all until things are checked and then students ordered to put the pistol/rifle down and before they do that a strict triple reminder where the barrel must be pointed at all times.

 

This incident sounds like a picnic and a recipe for didaster. 

[steven100]

sounds like she forgot to wear her glasses that day.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

after picking up a bullet mixed with others on the floor

sounds like she forgot to wear her glasses ....   Lol

[vinci]

why did she pointed a gun at the instructor to begin with, even if it was a dummy round she still pull the trigger, make you wonder sometime

[connda]

The range master and instructor needs to be in control of people in the range - always!

Assume your gun is loaded at all times
What do you do if you check your gun and it's unloaded?  See rule 1.
Never point your gun an anything or anyone you don't mean to shoot or kill.
Keep the muzzle pointed down-range at all times.
If a person is downrange, unload the gun, holster it, or put in on the bench with the breach open.

So let me get this right.
Student picks up a unfired bullet off the floor
Student thinks that unfired bullet is a "dummy"
Student loads "dummy" in magazine, racks a round (this isn't stated - But - there is no other way to get that round in the barrel.
Student playful shoots the instructor with a "dummy" round.

There is so much about this story that is totally - wrong.

[connda]

2 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

I own handguns. I shoot IDPA and have been to many ranges with many instructors, and never have I used or even seen a "dummy" round. The gun is either loaded or it's not. Your job is to know which it is. Why would this even happen? This confusion about the round being live or not. Or is the only dummy here the person who shot the instructor.

They are real.  They are called "snap caps."  You can use them for dry firing, or they can be useful when working with a student to get them use to clearing an unexpected misfire. 
 

Edited May 14, 2022 by connda

[kcpattaya]

Seems to me that there is more to this story...
 

[seajae]

the very first lesson should always be "never point the gun at anyone as well as always have your finger on the trigger guard until you are point the gun at a target and are ready to shoot", must have been a very bad instructor but typical of the expertise in Thailand. Have to wonder why she also pulled the trigger while pointing the gun at him and why she was loading the gun if it was only first time using it

 

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, Henryford said:

Even if it was a dummy why did she aim at the instructor and fire?

Maybe she didn't, she was beginner so perhaps she was a bad shot and was aiming elsewhere.

[webfact]

moved to Thailand news

 

/WF

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

25 minutes ago, kcpattaya said:

Seems to me that there is more to this story...
 

Seems to me you wouldn't know!

[greenmonkey]

2 hours ago, Henryford said:

Even if it was a dummy why did she aim at the instructor and fire?

exactly! This is a very fishy story. Why on earth would a grown adult point a gun at their instructor and fire regardless of whether they thought it was loaded/unloaded/dummy bullet!??? Just crazy...

[greenmonkey]

surely a shooting range has cctv... you would think!?

[TropicalGuy]

2 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

I own handguns. I shoot IDPA and have been to many ranges with many instructors, and never have I used or even seen a "dummy" round. The gun is either loaded or it's not. Your job is to know which it is. Why would this even happen? This confusion about the round being live or not. Or is the only dummy here the person who shot the instructor.

And the unfortunate victim who somehow got in front of a gun…at a gun range … huge no no. ????

heart attack from shock ? Nobody dies from a 9 mm round to the shoulder! it surely must have deflected to heart ? A 7.62 or 50 cal hit is certainly possible to kill though, anywhere , from massive kinetic energy. 

 

[Excel]

1 minute ago, greenmonkey said:

surely a shooting range has cctv... you would think!?

Perhaps the cameras were STF ????

[TropicalGuy]

52 minutes ago, connda said:

They are real.  They are called "snap caps."  You can use them for dry firing, or they can be useful when working with a student to get them use to clearing an unexpected misfire. 
 

Wouldn’t have any non- live ammo at ranges here. Only live rounds.

[Mywayboy]

3 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

My guess is it was due to being shot. 

Since maybe.