A former bank manager has been arrested after shooting five relatives, killing two and injuring three, in a long-running dispute over an access road in Bang Bua Thong district of Nonthaburi on Tuesday.
The shooting occurred at a house in Moo 2 of tambon Lahan in Bang Bua Thong district, said Pol Col Thassakorn Konthong, chief of the Bang Bua Thong station, who was alerted on Tuesday morning.
Police, forensic officers and Ruamkatanyu Foundation rescuers found the bodies of a married couple outside the house. The victims were identified as 71-year-old Sanga and his 74-year-old wife, Suda. Their surnames were withheld. Three other people were injured.
The gunman, identified as 59-year-old Anek Wanaelor, a former manager of a commercial bank branch, was detained at the scene by the village headman before being handed over to police.
The daughter of the deceased told investigators that Mr Anek arrived at the family home at around 6.30am and became involved in a heated argument with her parents and other relatives before opening fire.
Another relative, 51-year-old Pichai, said the violence stemmed from a dispute over access to the property that had persisted for more than a decade. The conflict centred on a shared access road between the suspect and the deceased couple, who were his aunt and her husband.
According to Mr Pichai, the suspect had sought to widen the access route, but the couple refused.
Pol Col Thassakorn said preliminary investigations indicated that all those involved were relatives. The suspect reportedly used a 9mm handgun to shoot the victims.
The suspect was also wounded during the incident after being attacked with a knife by one of the victims, said the officer.
The dispute centred on an easement — a legal right allowing access across another person’s property. The issue had been the subject of legal proceedings and repeated arguments for more than 10 years, said Pol Col Thassakorn.
Police were preparing to charge the suspect with premeditated murder.
