KHON KAEN — Police have arrested a British man suspected of fatally shooting his Thai wife outside a homestay in Maha Sarakham before fleeing the scene with a firearm.
Investigators at Don Wan police station said they were alerted to the shooting at around 11:00 on 27 January at a homestay in Ban Nong Hin, Moo 4, Khok Kor subdistrict, Muang district, Maha Sarakham.
The victim was identified as Phatree Uraphanom, 44, a local resident. She was found dead at the scene after being shot with a gun.
Police identified the suspect as Anthony James, a British national and the victim’s husband. Preliminary investigations indicate the couple had argued before the suspect allegedly opened fire and fled in a white four-door Isuzu pickup truck registered in Chon Buri province, taking the firearm with him.
The pickup was later found abandoned near the Sirikit Heart Centre of the Northeast in Khon Kaen province. CCTV footage showed the suspect being picked up by a Ford vehicle near the Ad Lib Hotel in Khon Kaen, before heading along Ruenrom Road in Muang district. Police believe the route was used to flee the area.
Authorities coordinated with police in Khon Kaen and neighbouring provinces to set up checkpoints and review CCTV footage along possible escape routes.
The suspect was arrested inside a hotel room near Kaen Nakhon Lake in Khon Kaen municipality by officers from Region 4, Khon Kaen Provincial Police and Muang Khon Kaen Police Station.
He was taken to the Khon Kaen Provincial Police Investigation Division for arrest procedures before being transferred to Don Wan Police Station in Maha Sarakham for further legal action.
Police had earlier warned the public not to confront the suspect, as he was believed to be armed.
