A 14-year-old boy facing murder and other charges in connection with the Siam Paragon shootings has been remanded to a juvenile detention centre where he will undergo a psychiatric assessment.
The teen, heavily guarded by police and his face covered to protect his identity, appeared on Wednesday in Juvenile Court, a day after a shooting spree at the Bangkok shopping mall left two people dead and five others wounded.
Police who arrested the teen on Tuesday said he was “confused” and that he said he had heard voices telling him to shoot people.
Investigators have initially pressed five charges against the boy: premeditated murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, illegally carrying a weapon, and firing shots in a public place.
Investigators were also considering whether the boy’s parents should be charged under the Child Protection Act. They did not go to the court on Wednesday to apply for bail for their son.
The boy was arrested shortly after a young gunman went on a shooting spree inside Siam Paragon in Pathumwan district just before the evening peak hours on Tuesday. Two foreign women were killed: a 34-year-old from China who was shopping with her daughters, and a young woman from Myanmar who worked at the mall. Five people — three Thais, a Chinese and a Lao — were wounded, two of them critically. Shoppers fled from the mall in panic.
The head of the Department of Medical Services said on Wednesday that the young suspect had been treated about one year ago at The Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, but didn't give further details.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday promised “preventive measures” after the shooting at the mall.
