SONGKHLA - A 39-year-old man shot and killed his wife, daughter and himself in an incident that left another daughter seriously injured in Rattaphum district of this southern province on Wednesday.
The shooting occurred at about 5.09pm at a house in Khao Rak Kiat, the Moo 12 village of tambon Kamphaeng Phet, police said.
Police from Rattaphum station and Forensic Science Centre 9 rushed to the scene to investigate.
From the police investigation, the man who shot his wife, their two daughters and then himself was Prateep Sakaran.
On Wednesday afternoon, Prateep had gone to pick up his two daughters - Mona, 9, and Nada, 11. They were students at Ban Kamphaengphet School.
His wife Phannee Sakaran, a 40-year-old dentist assistant at Rattaphum Hospital, returned home on a motorcycle at about the same time.
A heated quarrel then broke out between Prateep and Phannee. During the argument, Prateep retrieved a 9mm gun and fatally shot Phannee in the head. He then shot the two daughters in the heads, one after another, and shot himself in the head.
When the officers arrived, Phannee and Mona, had already succumbed to their injuries. Prateep and Nada were still alive but in critical condition. Both were rushed to the hospital, where Prateep later died from his severe head injury. Nada remained in critical condition.
A 9mm gun was recovered at the scene, with four bullets fired and four remaining in the magazine. Three spent cartridges were also found.
Relatives and neighbours of the family said Prateep had a history of being arrested for alleged drug trading, a case still pending in court. Despite being released on bail, he was required to wear an electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet.
They said Prateep's wife had asked for a divorce, but he rejected it. The continuing quarrels between them culminated in the shooting incident.