A teenage gunman stormed into a school in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, this evening, firing and seriously injuring the school director before surrendering to the police.
Initial reports indicated that at least three people, the director of Patong Prathan Kiriwat School and two young female students, were injured in the shooting.
Police said the 18-year-old suspect entered the school this evening with a 9mm-pistol that he had stolen from a police officer.
He was described as having a history of drug addiction.
A security guard at the school entrance told the media that the gunman initially targeted him, but the weapon failed to discharge, allowing him to escape.
The gunman then stormed onto the school’s campus and barricaded himself with about 300 students trapped inside.
He forced a group of students to lead him to the school director's office, where he fired at least two shots, mortally wounding the director.
Police tactical units and special operations teams were alerted to the shooting and establishing a perimeter around the school.
The school director, identified as Sasipat Sinsamorsorn, was later extracted from the building and rushed to a nearby hospital.
Video clips of students and others running from the site went viral. Parents and other people were seen waiting near the school entrance.
It was reported that the suspect had fired more than 10 rounds intermittently from inside the building.
Local authorities issued an emergency warning for residents to avoid the area around Municipality Road 31.
Parents gathered near the police perimeter, waiting for news in a scene of growing desperation.
"The priority is the safety of the children. We are following tactical protocols to ensure a safe extraction without further loss of life," a spokesperson for the Songkhla Provincial Police stated.
