A gunman killed five people at a market in Thailand’s capital Bangkok, attacking security guards and woman trader before turning the gun on himself on Monday.
Charin Gopatta, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, told Reuters the number of fatalities includes the attacker who took his own life.
Four security guards at Or To Ko - well known for high quality fresh fruit and seafood - were fatally injured as well as the female victim, according to the Erawan Emergency Medical Centre that monitors the area’s hospitals.
In a statement, Thai authorities said: “Police are investigating the identity of the person and the motive for the incident.”
Local media reported the gunman was Thai and he had disputes with the market’s security guards before.
No tourists were killed or injured in the shooting incident, said Sanong Saengmani, a police official in the city’s Bang Sue district.
Siam Bunsom, commander-in-chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said: “He reloaded and ran into the market, killing a female merchant and injuring another.”
Duangnapa Yeerunsiri, 38, who was at the market to buy groceries with her boyfriend and sister, was about to leave when she heard the shots ringing out.
“He fired many shots in rapid succession,” she said. “So we ducked down in the car and quickly called the police.”
Tourism is a key economic driver in Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second largest economy, where growth has been sluggish and such incidents can potentially put visitors off.
In video footage shared by police, a suspect in a white hat and a backpack slung on his chest is seen walking through a parking lot at the market.
Gun violence and gun ownership are not uncommon in Thailand.
In October 2023, a 14-year-old suspect used a modified handgun to kill two people and injure five others at a luxury mall in central Bangkok.
A year earlier, a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, in a gun-and-knife attack at a nursery in eastern Thailand.
In 2020, a soldier killed 29 people and injured dozens more in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.
