Fourteen policemen will be charged with dereliction of duty over the murder of a highway police officer at the house of a former local administrator in Nakhon Pathom province early this month, according to police.
Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn said on Sunday that the 14 policemen failed to help two officers who were shot at a party at the house of Praween Chankhlai aka Kamnan Nok in Muang district on the night of Sept 6.
The victims were Pol Maj Siwakorn Saibua, a 32-year-old highway police inspector who later succumbed to multiple bullet wounds, and Pol Lt Col Wasin Panpee. Both were under Highway Police Sub-division 2.
The 14 policemen to face the charge included police colonels who are station chiefs, deputy police inspectors and seven non-commissioned officers.
The fatal shooting happened when Mr Praween, 35, held a party at his house in tambon Takong on Sept 6. About 30 policemen reportedly attended the event.
According to earlier reports, Pol Maj Siwakorn rejected Mr Praween's request at the party for the promotion of his nephew, a highway policeman. Then a gunman who was close to Mr Praween fired multiple shots from close range at Pol Maj Siwakorn. A number of stray bullets hit and injured Pol Lt Col Wasin.
The incident triggered widespread outrage because policemen at the party did not arrest the guman and Mr Praween but instead let them flee the scene.
The gunman later died in an extra-judicial killing. Mr Praween, a suspect in the case, turned himself in and authorities from different organisations have since been examining his business affairs.
Earlier, Pol Gen Surachate said data retrieved from CCTV servers at Mr Praween's house showed false statements by several people at the party.
A corrections official was dismissed for taking the servers from the house and throwing them into water.