A 19-year-old college student was killed and two 18-year-olds wounded in a street gunfight with a rival group from the same technical school in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Thung Song district on Friday.
The shootout occurred in broad daylight on a road behind Thung Song Technical College in tambon Nong Hong.
A group of three senior male students encountered rival junior students from the college in the area and the violence erupted shortly after, said Pol Maj Thosamon Songkaew, a duty officer at Thung Song police station.
Police were alerted to the gunfire about 10.30am. On arrival they found three students lying on the road with gunshot wounds. They were rushed to Thung Song Hospital.
One of them, Nirut Thongpatno, 19, of Thung Song Technical College, had been shot in the head. He was transferred to Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital, but was later pronounced dead.
The other two wounded students were identified as Chinnathorn Srisuwan, 18, and Ananthapong Phetnuam 18. Mr Chinnathorn had wounds to his mouth, while Mr Ananthapong was shot in the back. They were declared out of danger.
Pol Col Pudis Norasing, deputy Nakhon Si Thammarat police chief and acting chief of Thung Song police, said those involved in the shooting were students from the same college. Nirut, the dead student, was senior to the two injured students. They were often involved in brawls, and the college had invited their parents in for a talk.
The shooting occurred before their parents visited the school, he said.
Police investigators reported that Nirut and his two friends were travelling on a motorcycle along the road behind the college when they encountered two junior students and two of their friends.
One group challenged the other to a gunfight, and the other accepted the challenge. They then opened fire at each other. When the shooting ended, three students were left lying on the ground. The remaining students fled. One gun was found left at the scene.
Pol Col Pudis said three shotgun pistols were used in the shootout. Police had already identified the other students and they would be apprehended for questioning. Legal action would be taken against those involved he said.