A gunman killed five people before taking his own life at the Or Tor Kor Market in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday, July 28, during what police are calling a mass shooting incident.
The shooting occurred at 12:31 p.m. local time (05:31 GMT) at the popular fresh food market located in the Chatuchak district of northern Bangkok. The market, situated next to the sprawling Chatuchak weekend market, is known for its agricultural produce and local food offerings and attracts both Thai citizens and foreign tourists.
All five victims were security guards working at the market, according to police statements. Two women were also wounded in the attack and were transported to Phyathai Phahol Hospital for treatment. The Erawan Medical Center, which coordinates emergency medical services in Bangkok, confirmed the casualty figures.
Surveillance footage captured the gunman wearing a black T-shirt, baseball cap, camouflage shorts, and carrying a backpack strapped to his chest. Video circulating online reportedly showed the shooter walking through the market with a handgun in his right hand. The suspect fled the market area before shooting himself dead on a nearby bench.
Deputy police chief Worapat Sukthai of the Bang Sue district confirmed that authorities were investigating the motive behind the attack. “Police are investigating the motive. So far it’s a mass shooting,” Sukthai indicated to news agencies.
Police identified the gunman as a 61-year-old Thai citizen who had previously worked as a security guard at the same market location where the shooting occurred. According to initial investigations, the suspect had personal conflicts with his former colleagues dating back to 2019, when he was reportedly in a relationship with a market vendor and had disputes with fellow security guards.
The incident occurred near a donation collection point that had been established to assist victims of the ongoing Thai-Cambodian border conflict. However, police determined that the shooting was unrelated to the border situation or the aid collection efforts. Social media activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, known online as “Gun Jompalang,” reported that the shooter initially targeted the donation point operated by his team.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police from Bang Sue Police Station secured the market perimeter and advised the public to avoid the area until it could be safely cleared. Market patrons were instructed to remain indoors with doors and windows secured during the police response.
Police General Kitrat Phanphet, chief of Thailand’s national police force, ordered city police to conduct a rapid investigation and gather all available evidence, including closed-circuit television footage from the market area. Authorities confirmed that no tourists were killed or injured during the incident.
The shooting occurred against the backdrop of violent border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia that had been ongoing for five days. Thai and Cambodian leaders were meeting in Malaysia on Monday to address the border conflict, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming that State Department officials were assisting in peace talks.
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership and firearms-related deaths in Southeast Asia, ranking second only to the Philippines in both total and per capita gun-related fatalities in the region. The country has experienced several mass shooting incidents in recent years, including a 2020 rampage by a junior army officer in Nakhon Ratchasima that killed 29 people and wounded 58.
In 2023, Thai police arrested a 14-year-old boy for fatally shooting two people at a luxury shopping mall in Bangkok. The previous year, a former policeman killed 38 people, including children and teachers, in a nursery attack that became the deadliest rampage in Thailand’s history.
The Or Tor Kor Market shooting raises concerns about potential impacts on Thailand’s tourism industry, which serves as a key economic driver for the country amid sluggish economic growth. Tourism officials have been working to promote Thailand as a destination following the implementation of the country’s gay marriage law in January 2025.
Police continue to investigate the specific circumstances that led to Monday’s shooting, focusing on the suspect’s personal grievances with his former colleagues at the market. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to piece together the events that culminated in the deadly attack.
