Autopsy shows no drugs in body of mass shooter as police probe family quarrel
An autopsy on the body of the Nong Bua Lamphu mass shooter detected no trace of narcotics, the Royal Thai Police announced on Friday evening.
Results from the autopsy conducted at Udon Thani Hospital show no drugs in the body of Panya Khamrab, 34, who launched a gun and knife attack at a nursery in Na Klang district on Thursday. Panya killed 36 people, 24 of them children, before turning the gun on himself. Of the 10 people injured in the attack, eight are in critical condition.
National Police chief Damrongsak Kittipraphat said investigation of the gunman’s motive was now focusing on a family dispute and financial problems, since Panya had been out of a job for nearly a year.
He said investigators found that Panya had quarrelled with his wife at around 4am on Thursday, before she called her mother to come and pick her up because she “did want to live with him anymore”.
Later on Thursday morning, Panya attended a court hearing on a drugs charge and was told he would hear the verdict on Friday.
Investigators speculate that Panya returned home, became angry after discovering his wife was missing, and launched the attack on the nursery where he thought his son had been taken. He then returned to his house and killed his wife, son and two relatives before turning the gun on himself.
“The autopsy result shows no trace of drugs, which means the shooter may not take have taken drugs in the previous 72 hours. However, officials will perform a full medical test to confirm the result,” said Damrongsak.
Panya was dismissed from the police force in January after being arrested in possession of methamphetamine pills. Earlier, he had been reprimanded by his supervisors for repeated abuse of the illicit drug.
Panya joined the Royal Thai Police in May 2012 and was moved to the Na Wang Police Station in Nong Bua Lamphu province in June 2019. He worked there until his dismissal from the police force.
Damrongsak added that the gun that was used in the attack was bought legally by Panya, who possessed a permit to use it. He said Panya bought the gun while in the force at the discounted price offered to police officers. When he was dismissed from the force, the gun became his personal property.
