BANGKOK, Aug 8 — Eight people killed in yesterday's school shooting sustained between one and four gunshot wounds each, with most injuries affecting vital organs, said the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Commander of the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine Police Major General Wirun Supasing Siripreecha said preliminary autopsies on the eight victims had been completed.
“The autopsies found that all eight sustained gunshot wounds, with injuries ranging from one to four shots. Six victims were each shot once, while the other two sustained three and four gunshot wounds respectively.
“Most of the wounds were to vital organs, including the head and chest, while some victims also sustained wounds to their arms,” he told the media at the Police General Hospital today.
Wirun added that most of the bullets found in the victims’ bodies had passed through them, with only one bullet lodged inside a body.
The autopsies have been completed, and the bodies are being gradually handed over to relatives who have submitted the necessary documentation.
“If the relatives complete the required procedures today, all the bodies are expected to be taken back for religious ceremonies,” he said.
Wirun noted that the 14-year-old perpetrator sustained one gunshot wound to the right side of his head, with the bullet passing through and leaving no bullet lodged in his body.
“Tests for various substances in the shooter’s body are currently being conducted. Gunpowder residue was found around the wound, indicating that the firearm’s muzzle was close to the skin when the shot was fired,” he said.
Regarding speculation over whether the boy was killed by police, Wirun said the autopsy could only confirm that the injury was caused by a gunshot and that the characteristics of the wound were consistent with the firearm used.
Investigators would have to gather evidence and determine whether the boy was killed during the police operation.
Yesterday, a student at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School allegedly shot his grandparents dead at dawn before opening fire at school, killing five teachers and school staff.
Twenty-one others were injured in the rampage and taken to hospital for treatment, eight of whom were in critical condition.
The perpetrator was later found dead at school with a gunshot wound to the head.
