A police investigator was arrested and charged with murder after the owner of a cannabis shop was shot dead during a drunken argument near Pattaya's Walking Street in the early hours of Sunday.
The shooting happened about 1.06am behind the victim's cannabis shop in South Pattaya.
Police later arrested a suspect - Pol Sub Lt Jeerasak Srikattanam, 54, from Muang Pattaya police station. They said he had been drinking with a group behind the cannabis shop and became involved in a heated argument.
CCTV footage showed the suspect arguing with a man in a white shirt. The victim, identified as 41-year-old shop owner Phattharathorn Jirachokchaikul, stepped in to defuse the situation, raising his hands in a wai gesture and attempting to calm the officer. He also tried to wrestle the gun away.
Pol Sub Lt Jeerasak was carrying an 11‑mm handgun which he allegedly fired at close range, hitting Phattharathorn twice beneath his left ribcage. He collapsed and later died in hospital despite first-aid efforts by friends and shop staff.
Police said the officer was heavily intoxicated at the time and an internal panel had been set up to investigate the case, with the suspect suspended from duty.
