BANGKOK — Two college students were shot dead and a third was seriously injured in what police suspect was a fight between rival gangs in Bangkok yesterday evening.
Two students from Pathumwan Institute of Technology were killed while they were riding a motorcycle on Tert Damri Road near Bang Sue train station at around 5 pm yesterday, police say.
Witnesses told police they saw another motorcyclist pull up next to the students and open fire on the pair before speeding away. The two students, 18 and 21 years old, were killed by the gunshots, Pol.Col. Chamnarn Waicharoen said.
Hours earlier another shooting also occurred in the same area. A student from Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin (RUTR) was shot by an unidentified assailant while he was riding on a Bangkok – Lopburi train that had stopped at Bang Sue Train Station.
CCTV footage and witnesses' testimony indicate that a gunman ran up to the train shortly after it stopped at the station, opened fire on the 20-year-old student, and ran away from the scene. The student was severely injured by the gunshot, police say.
The suspect was described as a lean man with short hair wearing a white T-shirt and jeans at the time of the attack. Police have urged citizens to report any information related to the incident.
Pol.Maj.Gen. Chantawit Ramasut, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the two cases may be related, but stressed that more investigation is needed. Parents of the students involved in the two shootings have been summoned to give testimony, he added.
Bangkok’s technical colleges are known for their association with rival gangs whose confrontations occasionally turn deadly.
Last night, police in Samut Prakarn arrested 13 college students who were carrying a number of swords and knives near Kanchanapisek Road. Police say the arrest was a part of crackdown on student gang violence in the area.
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