Somjit Juechan, 21, who worked at the paint shop on Wirat Hongyok Rd, was having drinks with three friends at a local shop at about 7 pm when a man walked up to them, put a gun to Somjit’s temple, pulled the trigger and walked away.
The attempted murder was apparently the latest word in a bitter dispute between Somjit and a local restaurant owner.
Pol Maj Sakon Trinara, an investigator with Phuket City Police, told The Phuket News,“The gunman is the owner of a somtam restaurant near Nakakram Temple.
“He had a disagreement with Mr Somjit because, a couple of months ago, Mr Somjit tempted one of his kitchen staff to work part-time at the paint shop.”
This was at the time of the Vegetarian Festival and the somtam restaurant owner was dismayed and outraged because he needed his restaurant to be fully staffed to cope with the extra business.
“They had fought before, and each had threatened to shoot the other,” Maj Sakon said, adding that he would issue a warrant for the arrest of the shooter today (January 11).