15-year old accidentally shot dead by warring motorcyclists in Bangkok

[mikiea]

Calling this an accident is a real travesty. Killing someone while trying to kill someone else is murder!

I suspect it would be manslaughter as he was not the target.

If it was deliberately aimed at him, then I would agree it would be murder, but he was not involved in any way. Just an innocent bystander.

what ??? missed target murder in the commission of a armed crime is still murder , why do you try call it something else ? manslaughter requires no intent of harm to anyone , as in a accident . this was no accident . sounds like you are a jailhouse lawyer................ a poor one at best..

[EyesWideOpen]

I hope some of all the CCTV cameras recorded this, so the guilty little brats can get prosecuted.

no prison time here , after all it was a accident , just say "sorry" and report to the police all will be forgiven if the baht count is right . how could the anyone call this a accident ? ...................

I recall a shooting incident in Phuket a few years ago. A local motor

cycle gang put out a hit on some guy. So some local buffoons went to

look for him, found him on soi bangla and opened fire. Missed him,

but of course shot some innocent tourists. Did not kill him however.

In the initial news story they were charged with attempted murder,

but I am pretty sure they walked away after the proper amount of

money changed hands.....

[mikiea]

Sad way to end this young life. Raises up a lot of questions on child labor and that he was "the breadwinner" for a Thai family at the age of 15. Working/living on his own at the mercy of other Thais.

I can't see the relevance between a young person being hit by a stray bullet and child labor rules / laws and Working/living on his own at the mercy of other Thai

had the boy stayed in school instead of earning money for his family, he would not have died. so the issue if child labor laws are indeed valid. specially, that this situation repeats itself among numerous families in Thailand.

Your sentiment is good, heart in the right place however, according to the OP photo caption, this happened on Monday evening, so this poor kid wouldn't have been in school anyway.

I don't know about this particular gang, but generally speaking, a lot of this young gang activity originates in school, and spills out onto the streets from there.

wow all you social worker need to form a union and charge dues......... a thug is a thug is a thug . a death bringer . do them before they do you , age is a non issue , bada bada bing ..........

[EyesWideOpen]

Neglicient murder. In most advanced countries. But in Thailand.... ? Nah. Just an accident

Dependent entirely upon the wealth of the family of the brat....

[Thian]

I wonder if the parents will be told to go home and make a new one, or not to worry, as they will be back in 30 days & maybe luckier next time.

I wonder what has traumatised and dehumanised you to the extent that you could make such a callous comment.

It's the text the sister of the Brittish koh tao girl wrote....

[Bluespunk]

I wonder if the parents will be told to go home and make a new one, or not to worry, as they will be back in 30 days & maybe luckier next time.

I wonder what has traumatised and dehumanised you to the extent that you could make such a callous comment.

It's the text the sister of the Brittish koh tao girl wrote....

Doesn't justify using it in this case.

[Heng]

Ready to use guns make it easier for sure, but the local technical schools kids have been making their own zip guns for decades now that are just as 'good' at killing folks.

[billd766]

Calling this an accident is a real travesty. Killing someone while trying to kill someone else is murder!

I suspect it would be manslaughter as he was not the target.

If it was deliberately aimed at him, then I would agree it would be murder, but he was not involved in any way. Just an innocent bystander.

what ??? missed target murder in the commission of a armed crime is still murder , why do you try call it something else ? manslaughter requires no intent of harm to anyone , as in a accident . this was no accident . sounds like you are a jailhouse lawyer................ a poor one at best..

My condolences to the Thai family for the loss of their son and bread winner.

You have answered yourself for me.

quote "manslaughter requires no intent of harm to anyone , as in a accident".

The 15 year old was not involved in any way, therefore it cannot be proved as murder which is premeditated as in some is try to deliberately kill another.

FYI a link to a website defining the term manslaughter (I think it is describing American law).

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/manslaughter

Manslaughter

The unjustifiable, inexcusable, and intentional killing of a human being without deliberation, premeditation, and malice. The unlawful killing of a human being without any deliberation, which may be involuntary, in the commission of a lawful act without due caution and circumspection.

Manslaughter is a distinct crime and is not considered a lesser degree of murder. The essential distinction between the two offenses is that malice aforethought must be present for murder, whereas it must be absent for manslaughter. Manslaughter is not as serious a crime as murder. On the other hand, it is not a justifiable or excusable killing for which little or no punishment is imposed.

At Common Law, as well as under current statutes, the offense can be either voluntary or Involuntary Manslaughter. The main difference between the two is that voluntary manslaughter requires an intent to kill or cause serious bodily harm while involuntary manslaughter does not. Premeditation or deliberation, however, are elements of murder and not of manslaughter. Some states have abandoned the use of adjectives to describe different forms of the offense and, instead, simply divide the offense into varying degrees.

As you have no idea of who I am and what I know about calling me a jail-house lawyer is annoying, but no more than I would expect from you. If I reply to posts like your I usually try to do a little research before I post.

Now in the OP it said that the 15 year old was in the back of the pickup and the others were on motorbikes, chasing each other with one person intent on killing another. Nothing to do with the 15 year old or the pickup truck and driver.

In my opinion if they were intent on killing the 15 year old they would have got as close as they could to the pickup to make sure they didn't miss.

Now that is my opinion as I wasn't there. Were you there and witnessed the whole incident, or like me did you get you information from the OP and come to your own conclusion?

[mankondang]

I wonder if the parents will be told to go home and make a new one, or not to worry, as they will be back in 30 days & maybe luckier next time.

I find your comments offensive and inhumane. You, and your supporters, are the reason that make good expats ashamed of fellow farangs. If any post deserves to be removed by this website by the "moderators" then yours does.

[farcanell]

That these bikies kill one another can be seen as OK... That's the game they are playing and the stakes are known

But that an innocent bystander was killed is an absolute tragedy.... And so young to boot

Condolences to the family who have lost their breadwinner, what will become of them?

And hopefully the young man can rest in peace... It's all so very sad

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.

[Jim walker]

Probably Some rich spoiled brat with a gun and tragically killing the young boy and brat will probably get off with a warning from police and told not to fire a loaded gun in public again or he might kill someone who is rich or important and then there would be a big song and dance about it and the amount of unlicensed guns in circulation in Thailand, and then soldier boys junta would be announcing a crackdown on guns. RIP Boonyawat and sincere condolences to his family and friends so sad such a young life taken away needlessly from him just as it was beginning.

[Foozool]

Accident ?!!!!! someone has pulled the trigger. There is no accident for pulling trigger !!!! Killing one or another.

If he was cleaning his gun and accidently hit someone, yes It would be an accident. But not for "pulling" trigger" to shoot.

[EyesWideOpen]

At the tech colleges these morons attend they need to offer

a course in learning how to shoot accurately. This would be

a win win, as it would save innocent bystanders from stray

poorly aimed shots, and the increased accuracy would insure

these tech morons kill themselves at a faster rate, thus

benefiting society overall.....

[northernphil]

How sad that what started with the OP and the comments on about the first page ended up in a bun fight. Murder/not murder. manslaughter/not manslaughter. IMHO it was certainly not an accident , " oops sorry shot the wrong one , an accident , maybe I will be more accurate next time ". I know someone locally to me who is trying to look after his 72 yo grand mother , 4 places have closed where he worked so I have great empathy with the lad who was supporting his family , that I find very very sad.

[evadgib]

There's nothing 'accidental' about discharging a firearm on a public highway!

I hope the driver had a dashcam and that it enhances any CCTV footage that might be available in order to put the perpetrator away.

[lostmebike]

At the tech colleges these morons attend they need to offer

a course in learning how to shoot accurately. This would be

a win win, as it would save innocent bystanders from stray

poorly aimed shots, and the increased accuracy would insure

these tech morons kill themselves at a faster rate, thus

benefiting society overall.....

Yes this would solve everything, not.

Just a thought, do you really think these kids study?

[Artisi]

Poor kid deserved better than that.

Guns don't kill people, stupid people with guns kill people.

Yeah yeah yeah, you must be a Yank, why didn't you quote the second amendment just to top-off the stupid statement. Did you overlook the fact if the shooter didn't have a firearm the young guy would still be alive, but guns don't kill do they- only when pointed at people and discharged.

[Prbkk]

This is about as sad as it gets: a youngster finishing a day's work, doing the right thing for his family and getting skills for himself, killed by these feral thugs who are pleased to call themselves bikers. More like vicious cretins.

Taking a gun into a public place, discharging it, fleeing the scene. Even if they missed the intended target there is sufficient there to prove conspiracy, intent, causing death= 25 years minimum.

The govt crackdown on these thugs is working a treat.

[sambum]

I wonder if the parents will be told to go home and make a new one, or not to worry, as they will be back in 30 days & maybe luckier next time.

I wonder what has traumatised and dehumanised you to the extent that you could make such a callous comment.

I don't think he was being callous - maybe a bit insensitive, but I think jucel was making a tongue in cheek reference to the supposed comments by Thai authorities to the grieving family of Hannah Witheridge during the trial of the supposed Koh Tao murderers.

[Basil B]

The American Disease...

Poor or no gun control and every "Bird Brain hoodlum" armed to the teeth...

[55Jay]

The American Disease...

Poor or no gun control and every "Bird Brain hoodlum" armed to the teeth...

Aren't guns virtually banned here?

[KamalaRider]

Please people, don't get obsessed with the word "breadwinner" as it's translated to English from Thai.

Most probably what the boys mother told someone who quoted her, was he was the sole provider for the family, which was in Thai language, not English.

I 'm always "surprised" when some people reacts on English words said in OP's when the language used at first is Thai.

Thousands of ways to misinterpret/poorly translate a single word or phrase. Also remember that he had younger siblings making it difficult for his mother to have a job.

Please be a little more caring and understanding when it comes to poor people without financial support from any social welfare organisation/department.

[ChrisY1]

Thailand....dumb ass people have guns......dumb ass people have licenced guns..........no-one cares...........10 million guns that they know of......tens of thousands they don't know of.........and still no-one cares!

[off road pat]

Poor kid deserved better than that.

Guns don't kill people, stupid people with guns kill people.

Yeah well,...If guns are easily available Stupid people will always have them....!!!

[seancbk]

I wonder if the parents will be told to go home and make a new one, or not to worry, as they will be back in 30 days & maybe luckier next time.

I wonder what has traumatised and dehumanised you to the extent that you could make such a callous comment.

I wonder how you can not be aware what Jucel was referring to.

The parents of Hannah Witheridge (the girl raped and murdered in Koh Tao) were apparently told this by the Thai Police. It was reported on her sister's facebook page a day or so ago.

[Bluespunk]

I wonder if the parents will be told to go home and make a new one, or not to worry, as they will be back in 30 days & maybe luckier next time.

I wonder what has traumatised and dehumanised you to the extent that you could make such a callous comment.

I wonder how you can not be aware what Jucel was referring to.

The parents of Hannah Witheridge (the girl raped and murdered in Koh Tao) were apparently told this by the Thai Police. It was reported on her sister's facebook page a day or so ago.

I am fully aware but I do not see how anyone could bring themselves to apply it to this young teenagers death.

It is callous and completely unnecessary, no matter what point is trying to be made.

[chickenslegs]

Calling this an accident is a real travesty. Killing someone while trying to kill someone else is murder!

I suspect it would be manslaughter as he was not the target.

If it was deliberately aimed at him, then I would agree it would be murder, but he was not involved in any way. Just an innocent bystander.

what ??? missed target murder in the commission of a armed crime is still murder , why do you try call it something else ? manslaughter requires no intent of harm to anyone , as in a accident . this was no accident . sounds like you are a jailhouse lawyer................ a poor one at best..

My condolences to the Thai family for the loss of their son and bread winner.

You have answered yourself for me.

quote "manslaughter requires no intent of harm to anyone , as in a accident".

The 15 year old was not involved in any way, therefore it cannot be proved as murder which is premeditated as in some is try to deliberately kill another.

FYI a link to a website defining the term manslaughter (I think it is describing American law).

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/manslaughter

Manslaughter

The unjustifiable, inexcusable, and intentional killing of a human being without deliberation, premeditation, and malice. The unlawful killing of a human being without any deliberation, which may be involuntary, in the commission of a lawful act without due caution and circumspection.

Manslaughter is a distinct crime and is not considered a lesser degree of murder. The essential distinction between the two offenses is that malice aforethought must be present for murder, whereas it must be absent for manslaughter. Manslaughter is not as serious a crime as murder. On the other hand, it is not a justifiable or excusable killing for which little or no punishment is imposed.

At Common Law, as well as under current statutes, the offense can be either voluntary or Involuntary Manslaughter. The main difference between the two is that voluntary manslaughter requires an intent to kill or cause serious bodily harm while involuntary manslaughter does not. Premeditation or deliberation, however, are elements of murder and not of manslaughter. Some states have abandoned the use of adjectives to describe different forms of the offense and, instead, simply divide the offense into varying degrees.

As you have no idea of who I am and what I know about calling me a jail-house lawyer is annoying, but no more than I would expect from you. If I reply to posts like your I usually try to do a little research before I post.

Now in the OP it said that the 15 year old was in the back of the pickup and the others were on motorbikes, chasing each other with one person intent on killing another. Nothing to do with the 15 year old or the pickup truck and driver.

In my opinion if they were intent on killing the 15 year old they would have got as close as they could to the pickup to make sure they didn't miss.

Now that is my opinion as I wasn't there. Were you there and witnessed the whole incident, or like me did you get you information from the OP and come to your own conclusion?

This would be first degree murder in the US (look under the sub heading "Intent")....http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/first-degree-murder-overview.html

In the UK this would be murder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_in_English_law

Thailand may be different.

What a sad waste of a young life. I hope that the offender is captured and charged/convicted/punished appropriately.

[trainman34014]

Violence...the last refuge of the incompetent !

[55Jay]

I wonder if the parents will be told to go home and make a new one, or not to worry, as they will be back in 30 days & maybe luckier next time.

I wonder what has traumatised and dehumanised you to the extent that you could make such a callous comment.

I wonder how you can not be aware what Jucel was referring to.

The parents of Hannah Witheridge (the girl raped and murdered in Koh Tao) were apparently told this by the Thai Police. It was reported on her sister's facebook page a day or so ago.

I am fully aware but I do not see how anyone could bring themselves to apply it to this young teenagers death.

It is callous and completely unnecessary, no matter what point is trying to be made.

Your fabrication and application of "American Disease", was just as irrelevant, and callous. A kid's been tragically killed, and your first instinct is to rail politically about America. Nice.

I'll answer the question I asked of you earlier. Yes, guns are regulated here and not available at the local Walmart shop. My understanding is legal ones are rather expensive, and the route to ownership prohibitive for the average Joe. That's nothing like the US, so your analogy fails.