Thai school shooter had studied guns and watched violent content online

Police uncover warning signs after deadly attack

The 14-year-old boy accused of killing eight people at a school outside Bangkok had been interested in firearms for up to two years and had watched violent content online, police have revealed as investigators examine how the teenager obtained and used a gun.

Police said the boy had used social media to learn about firearms and that a search of his computer found violent material. A knife was also discovered in his school bag.

More significantly, investigators said a teacher had confiscated a BB gun from the boy after he brought it to school last year.

Deputy commissioner Atthapol Anusit said police had interviewed 17 witnesses but had found no evidence so far that the teenager had actually practised shooting.

Mother says there were no warning signs

The revelations contrast sharply with the picture given by the teenager's mother, who said she had seen nothing to suggest that he was capable of such violence.

"He was a bright, cheerful person," she told Reuters, saying he had always behaved normally.

She said she had asked him whether he had been bullied and that he had always told her there was nothing wrong.

The teenager had lived with his grandparents for around 12 years after his parents separated. Police say he killed both grandparents before travelling to his school, where six more people died before he killed himself.

Thailand promises tougher school security

The latest findings have prompted the Ministry of Education to announce new safety measures for schools over the next three months.

The planned measures include mental-health screening, procedures for referring students considered at risk to specialists, emergency-response drills and stronger efforts to tackle bullying.

Schools will also be expected to improve their ability to prevent weapons and other dangerous items from being brought onto school premises.

The attack has reignited Thailand's long-running debate over gun ownership and enforcement. More than 20 people were also injured in the shooting, making it the country's deadliest mass shooting since 2022.

For investigators, however, the central question remains how a teenager who had already brought an air gun to school and shown an apparent interest in firearms was able eventually to obtain a real weapon and carry it into a classroom.

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As has been mentioned, they always give off signs, and this is something the caregivers should have noticed, if they took the time. Children will tell you things if you listen, that are bothering them, that they're being bullied, what their friends say, but you have to make time and not tell them talk to me later all the time. When they have things that are this important on their minds, it's best to listen right then and there, as they'll either forget until later or not bother to ask anymore if they think you don't care. The is likely what happened here.

Grandparents that are caregivers can be really effective or a complete waste of time, depending on how they were raised themselves. The same of course for the parents if they're actually around. Kids need a father more than anything else, and without that, which happens quite a lot, especially here, they need the mother and a good male role model who can be there when needed.

Parents that are workaholics look from the outside that they're doing a good job providing, which they are, but money is nowhere near as important than a listening ear and being around. The same goes for a partner as well.

This boy likely had nowhere to go, as his teachers heard about the bullying and likely didn't do enough. The grandparents at home might have been distant or worse, which is why they were also targeted.

Studying guns isn't a problem unless it's from this mindset, as well as the violent content. Both are not a problem in themselves. There are millions who watch violent movies and are gun owners but aren't out shooting people.

This happens almost always with a start at home. Add to that the bullying without anything being done, teen angst, no friends and isolation from that, and the anger increases until they explode.

His mother said she never saw any signs but he lived with his grandparents for the last 12 years, which means she wasn't around enough to know what was going on or to make a difference. Her parents, his caregivers, might not have been close at all with him, especially if they were working still. That boy needed someone there, especially if dad disappeared the same time as mom did.

School security is a good thing, as it can stop things before they get this far, but the real problem is resources for all children who need them, and for teens, that a large majority. Kids that can't vent will end up doing things like this, acting out sexually, stealing, cruelty to animals, and as adults can't cope in a relationship and use what they learned works at home.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by fredwiggy

My spidey sense is telling me this tragedy will be used as an excuse to crack down on social media, and possibly video games.