Soldier surrenders in shooting of repo man

Soldier surrenders in shooting of repo man

A Toyota driven by vehicle-repossession agents rests on a roadside at the Thep Satree Sri Sunthorn military camp in Thung Song district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, after the fatal shooting on Wednesday. (Photo by Nujaree Raekrun)
A Toyota driven by vehicle-repossession agents rests on a roadside at the Thep Satree Sri Sunthorn military camp in Thung Song district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, after the fatal shooting on Wednesday. (Photo by Nujaree Raekrun)

A soldier surrendered to police in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Thursday following the shooting of two vehicle-repossession agents, one of whom later died.

Private Wirat Thanawut of the Thep Satree Sri Sunthorn military camp in Thung Song district turned himself in after the shooting inside the camp on Wednesday, said Pol Col Somkid Damkliang, chief of the Kapang police station in Thung Song.

The chief quoted the soldier as saying that the two men had pursued him by their car from Khlong Thom district of Krabi province to Nakhon Si Thammarat and entered his base in tambon Kapang Wednesday evening.

There the private parked his car and the two men -- identified as Pongpat Noonong, 21, and Amornsak Chobthamkij, 33 -- did the same and walked quickly toward him. The private was quoted as saying he fired his 9mm handgun at the pair because he thought they were about to attack him.

The two natives of Thung Song district were shot once in the abdomen. Amornsak later succumbed to his wound at Thung Song Hospital.

Mr Pongpat and his late colleague worked for a finance firm which ordered them to repossess the soldier's car as he allegedly had been in default on his loan for nine months. Police released the private on bail.

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