Thailand is not used to school shootings. 

Tragedy was reported in northeast Thailand, in a remote area of Nong Bua Lamphu province, on October 6, 2022, when a shooter entered a daycare center and killed at least 36 innocent victims.

Included in the victim count were 24 young children. 

Four children stabbed in the attack survived and were in good condition.

The suspect, Panya Khamrab, 34, entered the daycare armed with a shotgun, a handgun and a knife. He charged into a locked room during nap time and began shooting at the sleeping children. The children were as young as two-years-old. Police say there were 30 children in the room. 

Reuters reported that the gunman at first targeted the staff and shot four or five adults, including a pregnant teacher. 

The gunman fled from the daycare center in a white pickup truck. A witness, Paweena Purichan, said, “He intended to crash into others on the road. The attacker rammed a motorbike, and two people were injured. I sped off to get away from him.”

Khamrab returned to his house, killed his wife and his child, and then himself. 

Khamrab was a former police officer who was discharged in 2021 for drug trafficking, according to Thai newspaper Khaosod. Earlier in the day, before the shooting, he was at a court hearing regarding his drug case. The verdict was expected to be given on October 7. 

No one knows what set him off, but it appears that the stress of his court case was a factor. The medical examiner found no evidence of drugs in his body.

Mass shootings are not common in Thailand because of strict gun laws. Carrying a gun unlawfully can result in a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.