SURAT THANI, Thailand — A police captain has been suspended from duty and taken into custody after firing multiple gunshots at the local office of a Bhumjaithai Party lawmaker in Surat Thani province, an incident authorities attribute to a perceived family grievance compounded by underlying mental health struggles.

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The shooting occurred at approximately 8:20 a.m. on Saturday at the constituency office of Pichai Chompupol, the Bhumjaithai Member of Parliament for Surat Thani, located in the Sawiat sub-district of Tha Chang district. According to police reports, the suspect discharged his weapon multiple times into the premises. Investigators recovered thirteen spent 9mm cartridge shells from the scene. Although party staff were present inside the office at the time of the attack, the MP had not yet arrived, and no injuries were reported.

The suspect was identified as 37-year-old Police Captain Ekachai Supitak, a deputy inspector and legal affairs officer at the Provincial Police Region 8 training command. He was apprehended later that evening at a Central department store in the Muang district. Following the arrest, his firearm license was immediately revoked. Pol Maj Gen Patrawit Keetamotaneeyakul, the training commander of Provincial Police Region 8, confirmed that Captain Ekachai is now facing both criminal prosecution and a serious internal disciplinary investigation.

Police captain suspended after firing multiple shots at Bhumjaithai Party office in Surat Thani on Saturday, said to be suffering mental stress.

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During initial interrogations, Captain Ekachai claimed that his actions were motivated by revenge, alleging that MP Pichai had threatened his elder brother. However, investigators quickly cast doubt on this motive. Surat Thani police deputy commander Pol Col Natchanon Kerdkor stated that the captain’s elder brother explicitly denied ever being threatened by the lawmaker, suggesting that the officer may have been operating under a severe misunderstanding.

Further context regarding the captain’s state of mind was provided by his family members. Both his mother and elder sister confirmed to investigators that he had been suffering from significant mental stress, panic, and a lack of temper control. They noted that he was actively undergoing psychiatric treatment at Chaiya Hospital at the time of the incident. Captain Ekachai, who holds a degree as a barrister-at-law, had been a member of the Royal Thai Police since 2016.

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The incident has prompted a thorough review by the Provincial Police Region 8 command as the legal and administrative proceedings move forward.

-Thailand News (TN)