"Mom, Don't Call Me": Bangkok Students Recall Terror As Gunman Stalked School Hallways

Students at Debsirin Nonthaburi School barricaded themselves inside classrooms after gunfire erupted on Friday morning, leaving nine people dead and 23 others wounded in Thailand’s deadliest mass shooting since 2022. The alleged attacker, a 14-year-old student, killed three teachers and two school officials during the roughly 40-minute assault before taking his own life, according to authorities.

The violence had begun hours earlier when the teenager allegedly shot and killed his grandparents at their home around dawn. Police said he later boarded a bus and travelled about 18 kilometres to the school on the outskirts of Bangkok. Shortly before 10 a.m., he entered the campus with a firearm and began shooting. Debsirin Nonthaburi School has more than 3,000 students and nearly 150 teachers, according to data from last year.

Khim, a 14-year-old student identified only by her nickname, initially thought the first loud noise had come from a nearby construction site. As more shots rang out, a teacher moved the students into a classroom, checked a messaging group and confirmed that an armed attacker was inside the school. The students pushed desks against the door, switched off the lights and gathered near the windows while waiting for instructions.

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While hiding in Building 5, Khim exchanged messages with her mother and elder sister, who was trapped in Building 4. She asked her mother not to call because the sound of the phone could reveal her location. Photographs of the alleged attacker circulated through student messaging groups as he moved across the campus. Khim said the gunfire eventually sounded extremely close, leaving the students uncertain about whom he was targeting.

Khim’s mother, a 52-year-old nurse identified by the nickname Kwan, was working at a public hospital when her elder daughter called to report the shooting. Believing the attacker was using a handgun, Kwan asked her daughter to count the shots in an attempt to determine when his ammunition might run out. Police later said the attacker fired at least 26 bullets, while another 34 rounds were found in his possession.

Kwan contacted an emergency hotline and provided information about the attacker’s movements as police, including a specialised unit, secured the campus. Her call with her daughter suddenly disconnected, but the teenager called back minutes later and confirmed that she was unharmed. The family reunited at their suburban Bangkok home several hours later. The attack has renewed public debate over firearm controls in Thailand, which has one of Southeast Asia’s highest levels of civilian gun ownership.

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