BANGKOK – The parents of the 14-year-old Paragon gunman who killed three people in one of Thailand’s most terrifying incidents of 2023 agreed to have their son held in a mental institute on January 1, 2024.
Office of the Attorney General (AOG) spokesman Prayut Petchkhun said on Monday that the 14-year-old Siam Paragon shooter has been sent to a mental institute, Galya Rajanagarindra Institute, after the AOG no longer has the power to hold him after police failed to submit a comprehensive case for an indictment.
He added that psychiatrists conclude that the boy is mentally ill and needs to be treated and kept there so as not to harm others.
On December 28, the AOG sent back the police’s prosecution details against the young shooter. The prosecutor said that the written material was incomplete as it didn’t include the results of his psychiatric examination.
The incident occurred on October 3, when a 14-year-old gunman carried out a horrific attack by using a mock handgun to fire individuals inside the Siam Paragon in the Siam Square neighbourhood, killing three people: a Chinese female tourist, a Burmese woman who worked there, and a Thai woman, and injuring four others.
The parents of the shooter later issued a statement expressing deep regret and a profound apology regarding the incident. They are deeply saddened and shocked by this incident and accept responsibility as fully as they can.
“We would also like to promise that we will cooperate with the police, government officials and every agency necessary regarding these legal proceedings as well as support any mitigation and efforts to remedy the effects of this event as best as possible,” they stated.
On Tuesday, December 2, 2024, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the government is not buying time for the 14-year-old Paragon gunman. The boy is mentally ill so it’s right that he’s under the care of psychiatrists at Galya Rajanagarindra Institute, which is a government agency.
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