A YOUNG American man shot himself dead at a condominium in Pattaya with a pistol he had stolen from a shooting gallery after firing at the instructor twice and that same evening firing a shot at police but inadvertently injuring a journalist, Sanook.com reported this afternoon (Nov. 3, 2020).
Police said the American man, who they only identified by his first name Michael, 25, had been living in Pattaya with his Thai wife.
He had wanted to return home but the Covid-19 pandemic prevented him from doing so and during his stay in Pattaya started taking drugs. Two weeks ago he assaulted his wife, pointing a knife at her throat, which led to a breakup.
Yesterday Michael went to a shooting gallery in Huay Yai district, and was given a pistol and 10 nine mm bullets with an instructor by his side as he practiced. But then after he had fired two shots at the target, he fired another two shots at the trainer and fled down Sukhumvit road and turned into Jomtien.
A Jomtien volunteer had chased him but backed off after Michael fired a couple of shots at him and then rode on.
Then at 11.30 p.m. police were alerted that Michael had fired a shot into the ceiling of the condominium after a quarrel with a teenager there.
When the police team arrived they tried to persuade Michael to surrender but he fired a shot at them with this inadvertently hitting a journalist covering the shooting.
Michael then escaped to this room. Police blocked all entrances and exits to this building for two hours after which they broke into his room but found that he had shot himself dead two hours earlier.
Upon hearing about Michael’s distress at not being able to return home and also breaking up with his wife, his parents came to Thailand to help him two days ago, but they were going through the 14-day quarantine when he killed himself.
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Top: Police outside the condominium where the American man had killed himself. Photo: Sanook.com
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