Thai mall gunman ‘shot dead’ after rampage; 21 dead, 31 hurt

Soldier who killed at least 21 people during a shooting spree through a mall has been shot dead, ending near-24-hour nightmare.

CCTV captures the soldier walking through the Terminal 21 mall in Thailand during his shooting rampage.

Thai security forces have killed a soldier after he carried out a shooting rampage that left at least 21 people dead, police and military sources said. They said he had been killed at the shopping mall where he was holed up in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

“The police have killed the perpetrator and rescued eight hostages. Some were wounded,” said one of the security sources.

Both declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

People stand outside the Terminal 21 mall after the gunman was confirmed dead. Picture: AFP

The killings began when the soldier opened fire in a house before moving to an army camp and then to the mall in Nakhon Ratchasima in northeastern Thailand.

A member of the Thai security forces had been killed in a raid at the mall in an attempt to capture the soldier who had been on a shooting rampage.

The security member’s death brings the total death toll to 21, with over 30 injured and other shoppers still trapped.

Medical personnel prepare to enter the mall to help the injured. Picture: AFP

Two other members of the forces were wounded during the raid, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters as further explosions and shooting echoed from the Terminal 21 mall in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

Video images showed one casualty being wheeled out to an ambulance. Another staggered from the building barechested as he was helped onto a stretcher.

Latest pictures from the scene of the shooting in northeast Thailand. Thai security forces lead people to safety from the shopping mall where the shooter is holed up. By @Athit_P for @reuterspictures #กราดยิงโคราช #savekorat pic.twitter.com/0AkggkKjXY

— Matthew Tostevin (@TostevinM) February 8, 2020

The shooting spree began on Saturday afternoon when the soldier opened fire at a house before moving to an army base and then the shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, which is about 250 km from the capital Bangkok, police said.

Nakhon Ratchasima is a hub for Thailand’s relatively poorer and rural northeastern region. Much of the shooting took place at Terminal 21 Korat, an airport-themed mall filled with colourful Lego sculptures, a merry-go-round and huge replicas of landmarks from around the world.

Video taken outside the mall showed people diving for cover as shots rang out mid-afternoon Saturday. Many were killed outside the mall, some in cars, others while walking.

Terrified shoppers being evacuated by police. Picture: AFP

Thai security forces stormed the mall late on Saturday to rescue hundreds of people trapped there. It was unclear how many shoppers and workers remained inside, Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanit said.

Police identified the suspect as Jakrapanth Thomma. During the attack he posted “Death is inevitable for everyone” on his Facebook page and later asked “Should I give up?” Facebook said it had removed the suspect’s account.

“There is no place on Facebook for people who commit this kind of atrocity, nor do we allow people to praise or support this attack,” a Facebook representative said in a statement.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the mall in small batches by police while they searched for the gunman.

Footage from inside Terminal 21 #Korat of some people who were trapped being escorted out to safety. #KoratShooting pic.twitter.com/JZxcZrbQ8X

— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) February 8, 2020

“We were scared and ran to hide in toilets,” said Sumana Jeerawattanasuk, one of those rescued by police. She said seven or eight people hid in the same room as her.

“I am so glad. I was so scared of getting hurt,” she said.

Nattaya Nganiem and her family had just finished eating and were driving away when she heard gunfire.

Some of those who were trapped inside Terminal 21 mall run away after the ground floor was cleared by special forces. #KoratShooting pic.twitter.com/xI1Ou8lE5b

— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) February 8, 2020

“First I saw a woman run out from the mall hysterically,” said Nattaya, who shot video of the scene on her phone. “Then a motorcycle rider in front of her just ran and left his motorcycle there.” Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said a doctor was shot while helping an injured person.

Shortly before midnight, police announced they had secured the above-ground portion of the mall, but were still searching for the shooter. Some shoppers remained trapped in the mall, presumably in the below-ground portion.

Looks like a special unit is moving in to take out the shooter. pic.twitter.com/dQRJLErxvt

— Stickboy Bangkok (@StickboyBangkok) February 8, 2020

“We are worried for those who are still trapped inside. Some still couldn’t come out,” Lt. Col. Poonsap Prasertsak, a senior police commander for the region, said early Sunday morning. He told reporters police were in touch with some of those still trapped.

“We told them to stay calm, stay still and keep their heads down,” he said. Gunfire could be heard coming from the mall around 3 am as ambulances were brought closer to the scene, but reporters were kept away.

EXCLUSIVE: Video shows Sgt. Jakkrapanth Thomma inside Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasiman during his shooting rampage that killed at least 12 people. Latest info indicates he's holding 16 people as hostages. #กราดยิงโคราช https://t.co/1qWp0y3VQy pic.twitter.com/y8pqfzw0yw

— Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish) February 8, 2020

Thai media have been told that the first person killed was the commanding officer of the 22nd Ammunition Battalion, in which the suspect also served. The gunman had then fired at others at his base and took guns and ammunition before fleeing in an army Humvee.

People run together as they are rescued by Thai commandos from Terminal 21 shopping mall.

A fire on the compound of the Terminal 21 shopping mall during the shooting. Some reports suggest the suspect may have been armed with grenades.

The man believed to be the gunman appears to have posted updates to his Facebook page during the rampage.

“No one can escape death,” read one post. Another asked, “Should I give up?” In a later post, he wrote, “I have stopped already.” A photo circulated on social media that appeared to be taken from the Facebook page shows a man wearing a green camouflaged military helmet while a fireball and black smoke rage behind him.

A Facebook livestream video of Thai soldier Jakrapanth Thomma shows him standing in front of a building on fire during the attack.

Jakrapanth’s profile picture shows him in a mask and dressed in military-style fatigues and armed with a pistol. The background image is of a handgun and bullets. The Facebook page was made inaccessible after the shooting began..

Terminal 21 Korat is part of a small chain of Thai shopping centers run by Bangkok-based property developer LH Mall & Hotel Co. The malls feature floors modeled after major cities around the world.

The size of the mall posed a challenge for security forces as they tried to capture the gunman. It consists of seven main retail floors, including one below ground level, and scores of shops and restaurants. It also houses a movie theater on the top floor.

The soldier inside Terminal 21 Korat mall during his gun rampage.

A wanted poster released by Crime Suppression Division of The Royal Thai Police identifies Sgt. Jakrapanth Thomma as the suspect.

Many malls in Thailand, including Terminal 21’s namesake in Bangkok, have metal detectors and security cameras at entrances manned by uniformed but unarmed security guards. Checks on those entering are often cursory at best. Gun violence is not unheard of in Thailand.

Firearms can be obtained legally, and many Thais own guns. Mass shootings are rare, though there are occasional gun battles in the far south of the country, where authorities have for years battled a long-running separatist insurgency.

The Terminal 21 shopping mall.

The incident came just a month after another high-profile mall shooting, in the central Thai city of Lopburi. In that case, a masked gunman carrying a handgun with a silencer killed three people, including a 2-year-old boy, and wounded four others as he robbed a jewelry store. A suspect, a school director, was arrested less than two weeks later and reportedly confessed, saying he did not mean to shoot anyone.

AP