Two Buddhist monks and another neighbour narrowly escaped the shooting.

Following the 6am report of a deadly shooting, police rushed to a house in Tambon Tha Sawang and found the dead body of homeowner Sainoi Poungyeesoon, 44, while three wounded victims – Sainoi’s wife Lamthom, 37, son Anuparp, 20, and neighbour Parp Sukserm – had already been sent to hospital.

It was reported that Sainoi’s neighbour who lived in the opposite house, Decha Khongdee, 38, opened fire at them with an M16 rifle before fleeing on a motorcycle. Police collected 18 bullet casings from the scene while also retrieving the rifle along with a smoke bomb and some bullets from Decha’s bedroom.

Decha’s wife Thidarat pounghom said Decha, with whom she had an eight-month-old son, did not have a job and stayed at home with her parents. She said she had had no idea that he possessed a gun.