CHANTHABURI — 17 June 2026, in a near-repeat of the border patrol officer shooting involving motorcycle taxi riders, a man and his companion responded to a female friend’s plea to help stop a dispute, but the man allegedly opened fire after they were swarmed, their motorcycle was vandalized, and he was provoked.
Pol. Lt. Ploypan Arunrat, the duty officer at Tha Mai Police Station, received a report of a shooting with injuries at around 21:15 on Tuesday at a house in Takad Ngao subdistrict, Tha Mai district. She rushed to the scene alongside rescue volunteers from the Sawang Katanyu Chanthaburi Rescue Foundation.
At the scene, authorities found two men wounded in the shooting: a 64-year-old man, Samnao (surname withheld), who suffered a gunshot wound to his right leg, and a 37-year-old man, Suwan (surname withheld), who was shot in his left arm. Both were immediately taken to Tha Mai Hospital for treatment by rescue workers.
An inspection discovered bloodstains splattered across the floor of the house and 10 spent .22-calibre shell casings scattered on the road in front of the residence. Officers documented the scene by taking photographs and marking the locations where the evidence was discovered to compile the case file.
Reporters stated that the incident began when Somjit, identified as Samnao’s wife, called 25-year-old Phairat (surname withheld), asking him to help after a dispute with her husband. Phairat arrived at the house with a 20-year-old friend, Kraisorn, intending to act as mediators, as requested. However, they allegedly found Somjit with injuries from an assault, leading to a heated verbal argument.
The situation escalated when Samnao and Suwan allegedly used knives to damage Phairat’s motorcycle. Feeling threatened and surrounded, Phairat lost his temper, allegedly drew a .22-calibre King Cobra USA pistol and fired one warning shot into the air. However, Samnao then allegedly challenged him to shoot, prompting the suspect to fire twice at the victims.
The chase continued onto the road in front of the house, where Phairat allegedly fired additional shots to prevent the victims from pursuing him before tossing the gun away and fleeing.
Meanwhile, the case has drawn comparisons to a high-profile viral social media incident involving a member of the Border Patrol Police who shot a group of motorcycle taxi riders, sparking debate over self-defence when confronted by a group. In this current instance, officers under the command of Pol. Col. Phollaphat Thammasanong, Superintendent of Tha Mai Police Station, later successfully arrested Phairat and Kraisorn and also seized the firearm and ammunition hidden in roadside bushes.
The inquiry officer has charged the suspects with attempted murder, unauthorized possession of a firearm and ammunition, carrying a firearm in a city, village, or public pathway openly or without reasonable cause, and discharging a firearm using explosives without justifiable reason.
Nevertheless, investigators must gather witness evidence and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to determine whether the circumstances constituted excessive self-defence or attempted murder, in accordance with subsequent legal procedures.
