Angry Customer Opens Fire in Hat Yai Restaurant: 2 Dead, 3 Injured

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture from responders.

 

A shocking shooting at approximately 22.00 on December 22, at a Hat Yai restaurant left two people dead and three injured after an enraged customer opened fire over a dispute with staff. The incident occurred at the "Krua Phawana" restaurant on Nual Kaew Uthit Road in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province.

 

Police officers, led by Pol. Lt. Krisada Munnmit, arrived at the scene after being alerted to the shooting. The gunman, identified as Mr. Akkaraporn Phamjamnong, a 50-year-old defence volunteer, later turned himself in to authorities, surrendering the 9mm handgun used in the attack.

 

At the scene, police found Mr. Sitthipong Siriphan, 48, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Another victim, Ms. Orrachon Eiadkham, 45, died later in the hospital from similar injuries. The two were celebrating their son's birthday at the restaurant with their children. A 6-year-old girl, believed to be their daughter, sustained a head injury, while her 12-year-old brother was unharmed.

 

Two other individuals were injured in the attack:

 

• Ms. Phawana Udtah, 46, the restaurant owner, sustained a head injury.

 

• Mr. Suriya Supradit, 42, a customer, was shot in the right arm.

 

Both were rushed to Hat Yai Hospital for treatment.

 

Witnesses stated that the gunman, Mr. Akkaraporn, dined alone and ordered alcohol. After stepping outside to smoke, a server unknowingly began clearing his table, believing he had finished. This misunderstanding infuriated Mr. Akkaraporn, leading to a heated argument with the server and the restaurant owner.

 

The situation escalated when Mr. Akkaraporn left the premises, only to return shortly after, armed with a handgun. CCTV footage captured him confronting the restaurant owner again before drawing the weapon and firing indiscriminately. Panicked customers fled for safety as the gunman continued to shoot, even targeting wounded victims on the ground.

 

Police recovered eight 9mm shell casings at the scene. CCTV footage provides clear evidence of the shooting, which will be used in the ongoing investigation.

 

The accused, Mr. Akkaraporn, 50-year-old volunteer defense officer, claimed a different account and told police he had gone to the restaurant carrying half a bottle of liquor. After briefly leaving his table to greet a friend outside, he returned to find his table cleared by the waitstaff, even though he had not finished his meal or paid the bill. Frustrated, he left without eating further and went home to settle the bill later.

 

Later in the evening, Mr. Akkaraporn returned to the same restaurant with friends. According to his statement, the restaurant owner accused him of brandishing a firearm during his earlier visit. Initially, he denied the allegation and suggested the owner review the CCTV footage, which reportedly showed no evidence of him drawing a weapon. He claimed to have apologised to the owner with a wai gesture for any misunderstanding, but he alleged that the owner continued to insult him.

 

The situation escalated when two patrons at a nearby table, who reportedly witnessed the earlier incident, accused Mr. Akkaraporn of brandishing a firearm and offered to testify against him. The accused claimed that they also insulted him and that others attempted to restrain him and contact the police. Feeling unjustly targeted, he said he lost his temper and used the firearm he had with him to open fire, leading to the deaths and injuries.

 

Authorities are currently questioning Mr. Akkaraporn in detail before proceeding with legal charges.

 

-- 2024-12-24

 

 

[Briggsy]

Parents shot dead in front of their children by a drunken man unknown to the family. 🙁

[petermik]

Dodge City 🙄

[lordgrinz]

It's scary when the most dangerous people in Thailand are those in uniform.

[steven100]

uneducated hillbillies ....  

[spidermike007]

This is the behavior of a half man. An undeveloped mind, a lost soul. Absolutely nothing there. He seems to have never been taught any values, and possesses no sense of ethics, like a wild forest animal. 

 

Where were his parents when he was growing up, and why did they fail so miserably?

 

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Witnesses stated that the gunman, Mr. Akkaraporn, dined alone and ordered alcohol. After stepping outside to smoke, a server unknowingly began clearing his table, believing he had finished. This misunderstanding infuriated Mr. Akkaraporn, leading to a heated argument with the server and the restaurant owner.

 

The situation escalated when Mr. Akkaraporn left the premises, only to return shortly after, armed with a handgun. CCTV footage captured him confronting the restaurant owner again before drawing the weapon and firing indiscriminately. Panicked customers fled for safety as the gunman continued to shoot, even targeting wounded victims on the ground

Rather a short fuse... he needs to be taken away from the public

 

5 hours ago, petermik said:

Dodge City 🙄

Dodge being the operative wordfor a very long time.

[Stocky]

Unfortunately we have a lot of 'defence volunteers' in the south, I suspect many of them shouldn't be let anywhere near a firearm. During holiday periods, the city is full of Malaysian and Singaporean tourists up for Christmas and New Year, and on heightened alert, with many of these volunteers brought in to man check points and add extra security around town.