NAKHON RATCHASIMA — The authorities are urging bystanders who went out of their way to help victims during the Feb. 8 deadly shooting rampage to step forward and receive recognition for their valor.
Korat governor Wichian Chantharanothai said the anonymous individuals include a person who rushed to apply first aid to victims shot by the gunman outside a temple, and two men who directed traffic away from the killer’s path, an effort that he said saved many lives.
There was also a group of people who helped extinguish fires at propane tanks outside Terminal 21 shopping mall in the face of the gunman’s rampage, preventing a potential further tragedy, Wichian said.
“[They] should contact the provincial Damrongtham Center so we can honor them with an award,” the governor said.
The individuals mentioned by the governor were just a few examples of courageous acts seen during Thailand’s worst ever mass shooting, which killed 29 people. Eyewitness accounts say some sustained injuries or even deaths for trying to help others from the gunman.
For instance, a man named Jirattikarn Nobthai was credited for getting off his motorbike to help victims in front of the mall, before the gunman saw him and shot him multiple times. He is still in hospital for his severe injuries.
