A clash involving a group of young individuals dealing in illegal firearms resulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy. The incident occurred on October 7 in Pathum Thani, when the victim, accompanied by four others, attempted to sell a modified blank gun for 10,000 baht to two men in a car. However, both parties planned to betray each other, leading to gunfire. The victim aimed to rob the buyers, while the buyers intended to steal the gun. Police apprehended two assailants and four of the victim’s friends, all aged 15-18, and charged both sides, given their young age.
At 21:00 on October 7, police received reports of a shooting in Klong Sam, where they discovered the victim lying dead, shot in the chest and left arm. Six 9mm bullet casings were found at the scene, as well as a motorcycle belonging to the victim. Initially, the victim’s friends claimed they were meeting over a watch sale, but later admitted it was a gun deal.
The assailants drove a Mitsubishi sedan to the meeting. After discussing the sale, the assailants shot the victim and seized his weapon. Although the victim’s friends attempted to defend him and shoot back, they missed, and the assailants escaped. Afterward, the victim’s friends hid the remaining weapons, but police managed to recover one.
Authorities revealed that both groups had predatory intents; the victim wanted to rob the assailants while they were there to steal the weapon. The victim had a criminal history of homicide and had previously robbed another armed selling incident, while the assailants were already known to law enforcement.
Later, on October 8, police arrested the two assailants: 18-year-old Phumarin Muangkham and 17-year-old “Fan.” They confiscated a shotgun and a 9mm pistol during the arrests. Investigations revealed that Phumarin had previously borrowed money from the victim to buy a gun. Both he and his partner face murder charges along with violations of firearm laws, while the victim’s friends are charged with attempted murder and firearm law violations.
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This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
