Drug conflict between friends suspected in Narathiwat shooting
A 26-year-old man was found dead with a single gunshot wound at the house of his friend’s aunt in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district early on Thursday morning.
Responding to the fatal shooting report at 4.35am, police found the lifeless body of Nasae Sama-ae in the kitchen near a pair of jeans much larger than his own size and Bt10,000 cash, Chalong said. No spent cartridges were found at the scene.
Police suspected that the fatal shooting could stem from a personal conflict over narcotics. They are now seeking the homeowner's nephew and his friends who were known to frequent the house. They had disappeared after the shooting, said Tak Bai deputy superintendent Pol Lt-Colonel Chalong Rattanapakdee.
Homeowner Yaena Nalad, 65, told police that she and other family members were sleeping in their rooms when they were suddenly woken by a gunshot sound, after which they found Nasae lying dead on the kitchen floor and alerted police.
Nasae was staying with a relative in the neighbourhood and often came with friends to her house, she said, as he was a close friend of her nephew. She said she had no idea of the motive behind the shooting.