Phuket City Police were alerted to the shootout at 3:10am yesterday (Jan 3) when they received a report that a bullet had struck the official residence of the Phuket Marine Police chief.on Phuket Rd.
Officers responding to the call arrived at the home to find a glass louvre in one of the windows shattered and a bullet hole through the curtain. The bullet was later recovered from on the floor inside the home. The Phuket Marine Police chief was not at the residence at the time of the shooting.
While officers were investigating the shooting, the Phuket City Police Investigation Unit was notified by emergency room staff at Vachira Phuket Hospital that a ‘Mr Kai’ (not his real name), 17 years old, had arrived with a head wound inflicted by a gunshot.
Kai had come to the emergency room for treatment, and another local resident had arrived after he had been shot in the shoulder. The shoulder injury was described as minor.
Investigating officers soon learned that there had been a shootout between two gangs of youths that had started near Bang Yai Canal at Saphan Hin nearby.
One group of teens was sitting beside the canal when another group of teens from Koh Siray arrived on motorbikes. The two gangs had already encountered each other. The problem between the two gangs was described as “how they look at each other”.
Police were told that one of the gang members from Koh Siray shot at the teens sitting beside the canal, prompting the Bang Yai group to speed off on their motorbikes.
A chase ensued, and the firing continued, with one of the bullets hitting the Phuket Marine Police Chief’s residence.
Kai was injured in the shootout, and one local resident was caught in the crossfire, police explained.
The gang from Koh Siray then sped off on their motorbikes.
Using CCTV footage from across Phuket Town, and beyond, Phuket City Police tracked down and arrested two members of the Koh Siray gang at a rented room in Wichit at 7pm last night.
The two perpetrators identified as directly involved in the shooting were ‘Mr Phu’, 18, who drove the motorbike, and ‘Mr King’, 18, who fired the gun.
In making the arrests, police seized a homemade firearm and one shotgun shell casing that had already been fired.
Phu and King were taken to Phuket City Police Station, where they told police that the other group of teenagers had opened fire at them first. They claimed they shot back at the other teens only once while making their escape.
Both Phu and King have been charged with attempted murder, police confirmed.
Officers are continuing their investigation.