Thailand: Gunman kills 5 in Bangkok market

A gunman opened fire at a food market in Bangkok, killing five. Police are investigating for a potential motive.

A gunman opened fire and killed five people in a fresh food market in Bangkok on Monday, Thai authorities said.

The victims include four security guards and a market vendor, according to local media. The gunman took his own life after the shooting.

That brings the total number of fatalities to six, according to Charin Gopatta, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Two women were also injured, according to the Erawan Medical Center.

The Or Tor Kor market in the Chatuchak district, often visited by locals, is next to the Chatuchak Weekend Market popular with tourists.

Though the motive is currently unclear, Thai police have stated they are "investigating the identity of the person and the motive for the incident."

"It's a mass shooting," said Bang Sue deputy police chief Worapat Sukthai.

He said that police are working to identify the gunman, as well as investigating "for any possible link" to the border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, which ended in a ceasefire later on Monday.

Though Thailand has fairly strict gun restrictions, gun ownership in the country is not uncommon.

While mass shootings are not frequent, Thailand has seen several deadly incidents in recent years.

In 2023, a 14-year-old used a modified handgun to kill two people and injure five others in a luxury mall in Bangkok.

Just one year earlier, one of the country’s worst mass killlings happened in 2022, when a police sergeant who had lost his job killed 36 people.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah