14-year-old suspect in fatal Bangkok mall shooting used modified mock gun, police say

The teenage boy accused of killing two people and wounding five others in an upscale Bangkok shopping mall used a mock handgun that had been modified to fire real bullets, police said Wednesday.

The suspect, whom Thai media reported to be 14 years old, was taken into custody less than an hour after the first gunshots Tuesday afternoon at the Siam Paragon Mall, one of the Thai capital’s biggest shopping destinations.

Video uploaded to social media and broadcast on television showed a long-haired youth in the custody of police. Major Thai media said he was a student at a prominent private school. Recently appointed Police Chief Torsak Sukvimol confirmed only that he was a minor and had a record of being treated for mental illness.

Assistant National Police Chief Samran Nualma said at a news conference Wednesday that the weapon used was “a plastic gun and adapted to use with real bullets.” It has variously been described as originally intended to fire blanks or BBs.

Read more: Los Angeles Times