The first shooting incident, which resulted in a fatality, occurred on Naresorn Rd, in front of the Finance Ministry’s "government center" office in the Talad Yai sub district, near the junction with Trang Rd, which marks a border with Rassada sub-district.
Phuket police were alerted to the shooting at about 11.15pm and dispatched officers to the scene, a bend in the road where they found a fallen Suzuki Smash motorbike next to a pool of blood.
Lying in the pool nearby was the lifeless corpse of the victim, an 18-year-old who was identified only as “News” of Rassada. The body had one “huge bullet wound”, estimated to be 3 inches in diameter, on its upper right torso.
Police removed a spent bullet from the wound and the body was transported to Wachira Hospital.Police proceeded to question an eye-witness, a friend who had been riding pillion of the victim’s bike.
The witness said that prior to the shooting, the pair had been chased down by a gang of three bikes (brand and make unknown), each with a person riding pillion, comprising six persons in total.
The chase started in the area of Phuket municipality offices, and continued along Naresorn Rd.
Near the governor’s house, one of the assailants cocked a gun and shot at the fleeing motorbike, but the shot missed its target and hit the victim’s motorbike. The chase continued on to the site of the final, fatal shot.
At that point the victim’s passenger managed to run away and hide in tall grass nearby until help arrived, while the gang of bikes fleed the scene.
The Phuket News has been informed of a second shooting at 4am in Soi Nanai 8, Patong. The victim has been transported to Wachira hospital and is in critical condition.
The shootings are the latest in a series of incidents involving guns in Phuket in a 36 hour period (read about teen being gunned down here, and about police seizing guns at two different check points (story here).
Aside from these incidents, a suicide took place. Details were not initially available but have since emerged and can be found here.