Police arrested a Chinese-Australian businessman for the fatal shooting of his mother in a Sukhumvit condominium on Friday night, after preventing him from also killing his wife and children and himself.
Officers on Saturday took the 41-year-old suspect to the Bangkok South Criminal Court to seek approval for the first round of detention. Investigators opposed bail. He has been charged with homicide and illegal possession of a gun and ammunition.
Kelvin Shuo Gao, who holds Australian nationality, is accused of fatally shooting his mother Xing Liu, 65, in the family unit on the ninth floor of the Supalai Place condominium on Sukhumvit Soi 39, said police who were called to the scene at around 7.30pm on Friday.
The suspect made no attempt to flee but when police arrived, he was threatening to kill his wife and their children — a son aged 7 and a daughter aged 2 — as well as himself before officers intervened, said Pol Col Duangchot Suwancharas, chief of Thong Lor police.
The suspect had been living in Thailand for 12 years and ran an LED light business, said Pol Col Duangchot.
During questioning, the suspect claimed he had been under pressure from his mother, who owned a plastics factory in Sam Khok district of Pathum Thani. He told police that his mother controlled everything related to the business. Business pressure and alcohol consumption drove him to violence, he reportedly told investigators.
The victim was struck in the right side of the stomach. Her body was sent for autopsy at Police General Hospital.
Suspect Kelvin Shuo Gao is taken to the Thong Lor police station after he was arrested following the fatal shooting of his mother at a condominium in Sukhumvit Soi 39 on Friday night. (Photo: Wassayos Ngamkham)