PHETCHABUN: A drunken provincial councillor who opened fire at a police booth in Bung Sam Phan district has reported to police after the incident was caught on surveillance video.
Somphop Thaiwattanatrakul was seen shooting a firearm into the air before approaching the police booth and firing into it on Friday evening.
Upon arrival at the scene, authorities did not find the shooter but encountered two distraught volunteer officers who claimed to have seen Mr Somphop approaching after hearing an initial gunshot. The provincial councillor, visibly intoxicated, reportedly asked them if any full-time police were in the booth before opening fire.
On-duty officers were on a patrol at the time of the incident.
Three 9mm bullet casings were collected and bullet fragments were found embedded in the concrete casing of a fish tank in the booth.
The case has gained the attention of the police top brass, including deputy national chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, who ordered that the offender be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Latest reports indicated that Mr Somphop had reported to police on Saturday afternoon. He told reporters that he was socialising at a venue opposite the police booth on Friday night.
According to Mr Somphop, he intended to visit a village headman who was at the booth, but his gun accidentally went off and hit a cement pillar.
Initially, the police have charged him with carrying a firearm in public without proper justification or disclosure. Additional charges will depend on the outcome of further investigations.
