Police have now confirmed the principal succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Thursday morning, dying a hero for protecting her students from the armed 18-year-old
A principal who was shot after an armed teen stormed the school grounds has died in hospital, police have confirmed.
Head teacher Sasiphat Sinsamosorn and a female student of Patongprathankeeriwat School were both shot when an 18-year-old stormed the campus of the school shortly before 5pm local time on Wednesday (February 11).
Local police have since confirmed that Ms Sinsamosorn succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Thursday morning (February 12). The injured student is currently in a stable condition. A second pupil was also hospitalised after leaping from a window to escape the barrage of bullets.
The suspect was identified by local officials as a teen with a history of drug abuse and mental health issues.
Police in Hat Yai, a city of in Thailand’s far south, were initially called to the school following reports that the suspect was causing a disturbance. The gunman then attacked a police officer and stole the officer’s gun.
He then raced inside, holding several students and teachers hostage in the facility for two hours before he was apprehended. Police managed to wound the teen during the tense standoff.
His motive remains unclear, though Thai media reports suggest he may have held a grievance against a teacher at the school.
In a social media post, the school paid tribute to the now-departed principal, who died a hero as she tried to protect her students. In the post, faculty expressed its “deepest condolences” to her family, friends, and the student cohort. It said: “Although we have lost her, the memories and kindness she left behind will forever remain in our hearts.”
Gun crime remains a serious issue in Thailand, where both legal and illegal firearms are widely available. The country has been rocked by a series of deadly shootings in recent years.
Last year, five people were killed in an attack at a Bangkok food market. In 2023, a 14-year-old boy shot dead two people and wounded five others at a luxury shopping mall in the capital. A year earlier, a former police officer killed 36 people, most of them children, in a massacre at a kindergarten in north-eastern Thailand.
