POLICE are filing various charges against six students in the death of a fellow student at a school computer classroom when a .38 homemade pistol allegedly accidently went off, Naewna newspaper said today (Sept. 16).
Maj. Gen. Paisan Wongwatcharamongkol, commander of the Nonthaburi provincial police, said after an hour-long meeting at Bang Bua Thong police station that student A (assumed name), 15, who brought the pistol to school that discharged and killed his classmate had not quarrelled with him.
However he did have a problem with another student and had brought the .38 calibre firearm to school several times in the past. A senior student with knowledge of firearms had himself built it.
Student A added that yesterday he had brought the pistol to school wrapped in a sweater. In unfolding the sweater it somehow triggered with the bullet hitting his friend in the face.
He added that he and four other friends tried to help the injured student but were told to leave the classroom by their teacher.
Afterwards senior students took the pistol and threw it in a canal.
Student A faces charges of negligently causing the death of another person and possessing a firearm without permission. After questioning is completed this afternoon he will be taken to Nonthaburi’s Juvenile and Family Court.
Regarding the five senior students, the pistol’s owner faces a charge of possessing a firearm without permission, the student who threw it in the canal is charged with possessing a firearm and carrying it in public without permission with the others being charged with destroying evidence.
As to why the teacher had said that the keyboard had exploded, Maj. Gen. Paisan said it is possible she repeated what the students had told her.
As for the bullet’s trajectory, it was found that it had entered from the back of the head and exited through the eye socket but forensic examination has yet to confirm this. However there was a bullet hole in student A’s sweater.
The damaged keyboard too is being carefully examined.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Divers show the pistol they recovered from the canal.
Insert: Student A being taken to the police station for questioning. The Thai headline says, “Only brought the pistol to school to threaten the enemy. Six charged over pistol firing and killing ninth grader.
Front Page: Police gathering evidence in the computer classroom where the student died. All photos: Naewna
Also read: Update: Student killed by pen gun bullet, not keyboard explosion
Student dies after computer keyboard explodes in classroom
Traffic policeman gives gifts to boy abandoned by Myanmar mother
A book about a soldier’s mysterious disappearance children will love
Student riding a horse to college a hit on social media
One Reply to “6 students face charges in shooting death of fellow student”