Patong –
A teenage girl from Myanmar was tragically killed in a shooting incident in Patong. The incident occurred when a gunman on a motorbike opened fire on a pickup truck she was traveling in.
According to the Kathu Police, they were notified by Patong Hospital on Sunday, August 18th, about the death of 15-year-old Ms. Nampueng from Myanmar. She had sustained seven bullet wounds to her head and neck. CCTV footage from 1:45 A.M. showed the pickup truck on Phra Baramee Road, approximately 50 meters from the Si Kor Intersection and 700 meters from the Kathu Police Station.
The driver, Mr. Kittiphong Janthawong, 27, and his passenger, Mr. Natthawut Hemra, 21, were waiting for the police at the scene. The gunman had fled.
The two men informed the police that they were in the pickup truck with Ms. Nampueng, who was sitting on Mr. Natthawut’s lap in the passenger seat. They had encountered a group of teenagers on motorbikes at a gas station in Kathu. After exchanging glances, the teenagers, on about four motorbikes, began chasing the pickup truck as it left the gas station.
CCTV footage from a nearby intersection showed the pickup truck reversing and hitting one of the motorbikes. A passenger on the motorbike fell off and then opened fire on the pickup truck, hitting Ms. Nampueng.
Later that day, at 1:30 P.M., the police arrested the gunman, Mr. Danusorn Krathong, 19, at a room on Phuket Road in Phuket Town. They also arrested the motorbike rider, Mr. Phon, 17.
Mr. Danusorn told the police that they followed the pickup truck because they wanted to confront the driver about why he had looked at them. Mr. Danusorn is now facing charges of illegal possession of a firearm, shooting in public, and murder.
