PHATTHALUNG: A couple were shot dead and a relative wounded in a gun attack by a group of armed men at the victims’ house in Kong Ra district early Saturday.
Police responding to a report of the shooting around 2.30am in tambon Khlong Chalerm found house owner Aroon Srisongkhram, 45, lying dead inside the house with three gunshot wounds to his back and head. Next to him was the body of his wife Phayao Somkhiewkwan, 51, with a gunshot wound to the lower part of her skull.
A young man, identified only as Arlee, the couple’s relative, sustained injuries, while a 15-year-old daughter of the couple survived, Thai media reported.
A police investigation found that Mr Arlee had arrived at the couple’s house shortly before the attack. While they were talking, four armed men on two motorcycles arrived and called on them to come outside to talk.
During the talk, one of the armed men suddenly pulled out a pistol, prompting Arlee and the couple to run. The shooters sprayed them with bullets, killing Mr Aroon and his wife on the spot. Mr Arlee was wounded but managed to flee.
The attackers then tried unsuccessfully to break open the door of the teenage girl's room to kill her before fleeing on their motorcycles.
Pol Maj Gen Thakoon Natepukkana, the chief of Phatthalung police, said officers believed the attack might have stemmed from a conflict over an unlawful business or a personal conflict. Investigators are looking into reports that Mr Aroon may have been involved in trading of illicit items, he said, but declined to give further details.
