Thailand shooting: Soldier kills 26, wounds 57; dies after 17-hour standoff

A soldier in Thailand, armed with an assault rifle, went on a shooting rampage Saturday, killing 26 people and injuring 57 at a military base and shopping mall before dying after a 17-hour standoff with police.

The shooter broadcasted his actions on Facebook Live, The New York Times reported, citing police and local news reports.

Authorities identified the alleged shooter as Jakrapanth Thomma, 32, a sergeant in the Thai military, according to The Washington Post.

Update 7:30 a.m. EST Feb. 9: The gunman's 17-hour standoff with authorities ended Sunday morning, when a raid led to gunfire that killed him, according to The Washington Post. The gunman, Jakrapanth Thomma, 32, was angered over a "land problem," Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, told The New York Times. The gunman was particularly upset over a fee payment involving the selling of a house, the newspaper reported.

Indeed, a Facebook page believed to be connected to Sgt. Thomma included comments and images suggesting a grudge involving money.

“Getting wealthy from cheating and taking advantage of others,” he said in a comment on the page. “Do they think they can take their money to use in hell?”

Thai officials said that of the 57 people injured, 25 been discharged by noon Sunday, the Post reported. Eight hostages were rescued when Thomma was killed, and some were among the injured, officials added.

Update 3:00 p.m. EST Feb. 8: Authorities said Jakrapanth Thomma shot a superior officer and injured several others at the military base. He then drove a stolen Humvee about nine miles to the mall, a seven-story complex in Korat, where he killed some of his victims, officials told The New York Times.

“I was really terrified. At that moment, I could not think about anything,” Kul Kaemthong, a mall worker, told the newspaper. "When we heard a gunshot, everybody started running for our lives.”

Thomma stole at least some of his weapons from a military camp, a defense spokesman told BBC Thai.

It was unclear how many people died at the military camp and how many died at the mall, The Washington Post reported.

Police said they brought Thomma’s mother from the Chaiyaphum province, located about 62 miles away, the newspaper reported. Authorities said they planned to bring the woman to the mall for any potential negotiations with Thomma.

Original story: Authorities identified the alleged shooter Jakrapanth Thomma, 32, a sergeant in the Thai military, according to The Washington Post.

Authorities said the gunman was still at large late Saturday, according to several news outlets. The incident began around 3:30 p.m. local time.

Police said the gunman originally shot a superior officer and injured several others at a military base, the Times reported. He then drove nine miles to the Terminal 21 mall in Korat, where he killed some of his victims, the newspaper reported.

Noppadol Sirijanya, a member of the Sawang Metta Tham Rescue Center in Nakhon Ratchasima, told The Associated Press the rescue team had evacuated more than 100 people from the mall, where they had been trapped for hours.

Krissana Pattanacharoen, a police spokesman, told CNN, "At the moment we are trying to capture the guy. Both police and military forces have been deployed to the area."

The motive of the gunman was unknown, Pattanacharoen said.

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