Lt Col Sakon Krainara of the Phuket City Police was notified of the shooting, in Baan Laem Nga, at 11pm.
Col Sakon, along with Lt Col Rungrit Rattanapakdee and Capt Wetchasak Jun-Adung, arrived at the scene to find Attapon Panyasak, 26, originally from Satun, on the ground with gunshot wounds on the road to Laem Nga Beach, about 100m from Laemnganusorn Rd.
Attapon had a bullet under his skin between the right eyebrow and nose. He also had bullet grazes on his right upper arm and his back.
He was taken to Phuket Provincial Hospital by rescue workers at the scene.
Attapon’s friend, Suton Jesa, 26, was found in a state of shock at the scene, police reported.
Suton explained that he was riding back home after doing some shopping with Attapon as his passenger sitting behind.
When the two reached the house, three men were standing near a car parked about 20-30 metres away, Suton said.
One of the men then opened fire at Attapon, who fell to the ground immediately, while fled back to his house.
After the men had left, Suton, his girlfriend and Attapon’s girlfriend returned and called the police.
The two girlfriends, frightened by what had happened, quickly rode off on their motorbike, Suton added.
Inside Attapon’s house, police found a pot used for boiling kratom juice, a bottle of cough syrup, some residue of kratom leaves, and bottles of cola – the main ingredients for making the “4x100” drug mixture.
Police seized all of the kratom drug-making paraphernalia and took Suton to Phuket City Police Station for further questioning.
Officers are also checking any CCTV footage in the area in the hope of tracking down the assailants, police reported.
“The cause of the incident has not yet been confirmed, while the injured is still suffering and under the close care of doctors,” Col Sakon noted in his report.