At Least 37 Dead, Including Children, After Former Cop’s Thailand Daycare Attack

At least 37 people are dead after an attack in the northeastern region of Thailand, local officials said Thursday.

The gunman later killed himself at home after opening fire at a daycare facility, according to a report from the Associated Press. The suspect, identified by local police as former law enforcement officer Panya Kamrap, is said to have first opened fire at the daycare center in the Nong Bua Lamphu province before later shooting at others on the street and eventually killing his wife and child.

A widely cited PPTV report on the attack, which has been called the deadliest such shooting in Thailand history (although this wording may change with the release of additional information), the man had previously been fired from his law enforcement position in connection with alleged drug use.

A separate report from Reuters provides additional details, including word that the attacker used both a knife and a gun. The children killed at the daycare facility are reported to have been “mostly stabbed to death,” according to local law enforcement officials. Prior to arriving at the facility, the report adds, the man is believed to have been in court. When he didn’t see his child at the facility, he’s alleged to have started “shooting, slashing, [and] killing.”

At the time of this writing, there was some variance in the reported number of children killed in the attack. Per AP, at least 24 children were killed. Reuters, however, reported that at least 22 children had been killed on Thursday. This post may be updated as this story progresses.