Jealous cop 'who shot wife dead at nursery' surrenders after police stand-off
A jealous cop who allegedly shot his wife dead at a Thai nursery has surrendered to police after an 18-hour standoff.
Police Sub-Lieutenant Thatsaphong Thongthat is said to have walked into the cafeteria at Anuban Tessaban Tambon Nongplalai kindergarten in Chonburi, where his wife Pailin Thongthat, 48, was about to sit down for lunch.
The cop allegedly confronted Pailin over a suspected affair before pulling out a gun and shooting his partner in the back of her head.
Staff and children screamed as they fled the corridor and locked themselves inside their classrooms.
The cop calmly walked back to his white Honda sedan and drove to his home around two miles away, where he barricaded himself as police negotiated his surrender on September 9.
The suspect remained silent inside the house, surrounded by cops, before his son, Police Sergeant Rachata Thongthat, arrived to persuade him to give up.
Footage shows Rachata, seen in the video wearing a police vest, desperately urging his father to surrender.
He spoke through a megaphone, then moved towards the house to reassure his dad that officers meant no harm.
He was seen lifting his shirt to show he had no hidden weapons or concealed wires.
The standoff finally ended at 6:02 am local time, when an emotional Thatsaphong emerged unarmed from the property.
He rushed over and pulled his son in for a hug, breaking down in tears as he expressed remorse over what he had done.
Officers detained him and seized the gun he had left in the house.
Police Colonel Sarawut Nutchanart, superintendent of Banglamung Police Station, said: ‘The son attempted to negotiate and persuade him continuously until around 6.20 am, when Police Sub-Lieutenant Thatsaphong finally surrendered peacefully.
‘This surrender marks the end of a stand-off that had been ongoing since the incident occurred late in the morning on September 9, continuing through the night until the morning of September 10.
‘We primarily utilised negotiation strategies, with his son's persistent efforts ultimately convincing his father to step out and surrender.'
Neighbours earlier said they were 'shocked and saddened' by the wife Pailin's death as the couple were 'good people'. Pailin had celebrated their son's wedding just days before she was killed.
Residents described Thatsaphong as a 'calm' person, who recently consulted them about early retirement.
Thailand has seen a series of deadly and alarming gun incidents in recent weeks.
On September 3, Kookiat Hansuebsilsuk, 64, allegedly shot his longtime friend Phenphak Watwanthana, 62, dead at the Sa Kaeo Night Market in eastern Thailand before killing himself. Police said the pair had fallen out over an unpaid debt.
A day earlier, a 15-year-old boy allegedly opened fire at Wachiraprakarn Wittayakhom School in Kamphaeng Phet while searching for a rival. No one was injured.
On August 10, former Nonthaburi MP Chalong Riewraeng allegedly shot local council leader Thongchai Yenprasert, 71, and his driver Yod at the Nonthaburi PAO complex, reportedly over an 11 million baht debt.
And on August 7, a 14-year-old student allegedly killed his grandparents before shooting dead six others at Debsirin Nonthaburi School and turning the gun on himself.
Thailand has one of the highest gun ownership and gun homicide rates among Southeast Asian nations.
Though Thai authorities have vowed to tighten gun control, there are around 4 million unregistered guns, often smuggled from war-torn countries, in circulation, the Ministry of Interior said in 2023.
