“REAL CAUSE”
Investigators have interviewed 17 witnesses and were examining the boy’s computer and phone to determine the “real cause of the shooting”, Atthapol Anusit, a deputy police commander for the region surrounding the capital, told reporters earlier.
“We looked into his PC and found history that he watched violent videos on social media,” Atthapol said.
“From questioning the kids, we know that he brought a BB gun to school last year but a teacher seized it.”
Witnesses told police the boy had been interested in guns for a year or two, Atthapol said, adding that he had learned how to use one by watching content on social media.
The child had lived with his grandparents since he was two years old after his parents had separated, he said.
The boy’s father apologised “to society for what my son did” on Friday, according to local media.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said the boy experienced school-related stress, and his dead grandmother was a former teacher who had been “quite strict on him about studying”.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, with around 10 million firearms estimated to be in circulation – roughly one for every seven inhabitants.
Officials have promised stricter gun laws since Friday’s shooting, but previous pledges have failed to prevent repeated shootings.
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