Nakhon pathom: A vocational school student, identified as Mr. Nirapol, also known as New, was shot and killed in a puzzling incident that has left police racing to identify the perpetrator. The 22-year-old was fatally shot along a canal road in Seri Kao Village, Krathum Lom Subdistrict, after an evening spent drinking with friends. Conflicting testimonies from his peers have further complicated the investigation.
According to Thai News Agency, the initial report came from Mahachai Hospital in the early morning hours of July 3, 1969. Investigating officers from Pho Kaew Police Station discovered a large pool of blood and broken alcohol bottles scattered at the scene. Friends of the deceased provided contradictory accounts of the event. One claimed the shot was accidental, involving a pen gun that discharged during a handover, while another alleged that an unidentified motorcyclist was responsible for the shooting.
Police have focused their investigation on four friends of the deceased, whose statements have been inconsistent. Although the individual who mentioned the pen gun claimed to have discarded it into a canal, a thorough search by diving rescue teams failed to recover the weapon. Meanwhile, nearby residents reported hearing an argument and a man's cries for help before the gunfire, suggesting a more complex scenario.
Further complicating matters are allegations that the location, a seldom-visited dead-end street on private property, was a known site for hazing activities by the group. This has raised suspicions about the true nature of the gathering on the night of the incident.
In a recent development, police conducted a search of the homes of the four friends, resulting in the seizure of two homemade firearms. These weapons have been taken as evidence, and the individuals have been charged with violations under the Firearms Act as the investigation continues.
CCTV footage has also surfaced, showing the group frantically riding motorcycles to the hospital, loudly calling for passage and honking their horns. This footage adds another layer of urgency to the case as police work to piece together the true sequence of events leading to Mr. Nirapol's untimely death.