The victims were named as Mrs Somporn Kaewket, 41, owner of Ke Kaew Ket Karaoke, and Nantapongs Wanbuan, 18, a friend of Somporn’s 16-year-old son, Chaitawach.
Both were hit by pellets from a single shotgun shell fired from a home-made “Thai Pradit” gun. Police arrived to find they had already been taken to hospital.
Chaitawach explained what happened. “After closing [the bar] my mother invited us to sit and chat on a bench out in front. As we were talking, a motorcycle with three teenagers drove by. About 20 minutes later they came back and one of the passengers fired at us.”
He said the suspects were riding on a red Suzuki Smash motorbike, with a red licence plate, but he did not catch the number.
“My mother was hit, and so was a friend of mine. We were sitting pretty close together; I only narrowly escaped being shot, as did others sitting on the footpath in front of the bar.
“I don’t think either my mother or Nantapongs were the target. I think they were aiming for me but missed.”
Chaitawach explained to police that he had not long ago broken up with his girlfriend.
“She’s just 16 but has a number of habits that really are not nice. I told her over and again to straighten up but she paid no attention, so in the end I couldn’t stand it and moved back home.”
About three days after leaving his lover, who was not identified, Chaitawach received a call from her. “She said she had a new guy, and that she was going to have him shoot me. But I ignored her threats.
“Then tonight, before the shooting, as my mother, my friend and I were talking, I saw the new boyfriend riding pillion as an old boyfriend of hers drove. They went past the karaoke.”
Shortly after that the shooting occurred, though it was not clear from the news report whether the girl’s new boyfriend was suspected of being the pillion rider who fired on the karaoke.
Police said that he, along with Chaitawach’s ex-girlfriend, would be called for questioning.
– Source: Manager Online