One dead in Bangkok mall shooting, suspect arrested

One person was killed and six wounded in a shooting at a Bangkok mall on Tuesday, an emergency medical service official said, revising down an earlier toll. 

“It was initially reported that three were dead but actually only one person died,” Yuthana Srettanan, director of Erawan Emergency Centre, told reporters, adding that six people had been shot, two of whom are in serious condition.

The Metropolitan Police Detective Department said on its Facebook page that a 14-year-old suspected gunman had been arrested and was being questioned over the incident at the mall.

Emergency services shared an image of a police officer apprehending and handcuffing an individual lying face down on the floor.

The Central Investigation Bureau had earlier posted a grainy image on its Facebook page of an individual they said was the gunman, dressed in khaki cargo pants and a baseball cap.

In security camera footage shared on social media, the suspected shooter is seen inside a store, kneeling on the ground in an apparent surrender.

Multiple videos circulating on social media showed people running from the Siam Paragon mall, one of the Thai capital’s top shopping destinations, which is hugely popular with tourists and locals alike. 

The mall was put on lockdown.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the police quickly entered the mall and he has received police reports that a culprit has been apprehended. 

“I am aware of the shooting event at Siam Paragon and have ordered the police to investigate. I am most worried about public safety,” he posted on X social media.

Thavisin also expressed his deepest condolences to families of those who died in the shooting. 

The motive of the shooting is still unclear.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: An empty Siam Paragon shopping center after people were evacuated following the shooting incident, Bangkok, Thailand, October 3, 2023. /CFP )