Community Lampang: Police Lieutenant Shoots Himself Dead After Sudden Job Reassignment

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Daily News.

 

A police officer in Lampang province has taken his own life while still in uniform, just two days after being reassigned to a new role. The officer, a 54-year-old Police Sub-Lieutenant (Pol. Sub Lt.), was found dead behind the main station of Mueang Lampang Provincial Police Station early morning on 24 July.

 

According to police reports, the officer had recently been moved from his usual patrol duty guarding jewellery shops in a local shopping centre to a rotating patrol officer position. The reassignment, made just two days prior to the incident, is believed to have caused the officer significant stress.

 

The deceased was discovered lying on his back near a shelter behind the station, dressed in full uniform. A single gunshot wound to the right temple was found. His service firearm, suspected to have been used in the incident, was recovered at the scene. Medical personnel from Lampang Hospital pronounced him dead at the scene and his body was later transferred to the hospital’s forensic department for autopsy.

 

At approximately 07:30, a cleaning staff member reported hearing a single gunshot but did not initially raise an alarm. The officer had began his shift at midnight and was expected to finish by 08:00. A fellow officer later discovered the body.

 

The officer’s wife, who was staying in their fourth-floor police housing unit, was devastated upon hearing the news. She rushed to the scene in tears, telling reporters that her husband had shown no obvious signs of emotional distress and that there had been no domestic problems.

 

“We spoke as usual. There were no arguments. I had no idea he was under so much pressure,” she said.

 

Pol. Col. Komsan Saadluan, Deputy Commander of Lampang Provincial Police, visited the scene and offered condolences. He stated that the motive behind the suicide remains unclear, and investigators will need to interview family members, colleagues, and others close to the officer to understand the circumstances leading to the tragedy.

 

Authorities are continuing the investigation.

 

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress or depression. Seek out help.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Daily News 2025-07-25

 

 

 

 

[Georgealbert]