'We are truly devastated': Thai school shooter's mother apologises during funeral

The mother of the 14-year-old school shooter in Thailand who killed eight people and himself on Friday (Aug 7) has apologised.

A video by Reuters shows her at the funeral of her son and his grandparents, whom he also shot and killed before heading to his school to open fire.

"I want to apologise to society for what my son did," she said.

"We are truly devastated, because no one thought this would happen, no one knew at all."

She also told Reuters that her son was a "bright, cheerful person" who "behaved normally", and that she had last met him during a recent school holiday.

The shooter had reportedly been living with his grandparents since he was two, after his parents separated.

When she previously asked her son if he had been bullied in school, "he always said no, there was nothing unusual".

The teen's father also apologised for his son's actions to the media earlier.

@asiaone The boy's mother is also grieving his grandparents' death. They were shot dead by the 14-year-old before he headed to school to open fire. #news #Thailand #Schools #Police #Shooting ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

'Showing interest in firearms'

Senior police official Atthapol Anusit said on Sunday that the crime was likely premeditated, pointing to consuming violent social media content, issues with family and conflict with schoolmates, and stress over his studies as probable causes.

"According to witness interviews, the perpetrator had begun showing interest in studying the use of firearms for some time, about one to two years," he told reporters.

Police discovered that he had learnt how to use a gun via social media, and did not find evidence of him practising shooting or training at a firearms range.

However, they discovered that a teacher had previously confiscated a BB gun the teen had bought online and taken it to school.

The ⁠incident at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School northwest of Bangkok was Thailand's worst mass shooting since 2022, with the death of five teachers and the shooter's grandparents.

The Thai health ministry had reported that14 people, mostly students between 12 and 14, are in hospital, with seven in critical condition.

A 12-year-old schoolgirl also succumbed to her injuries in hospital, the ministry said on Sunday.

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drimac@asiaone.com