A 48-year-old Thai monk, Phra Winai Sutthiyano, was shot dead after he broke into a store in the early morning of Oct. 16.

According to the Bangkok Post, the monk was shot and fatally wounded by the store's owner, Theerapol Theparos, who was sleeping in another room.

The incident took place in the city of Ban Than Tawan, and was reported to the police in Ubon Ratana district at 3:00 am.

Store owner feared for safety of his family

When questioned by the police, Theerapol stated that he feared for his family's safety.

The store owner explained that upon waking up and hearing the noise, he called out, thinking it was someone he knew, but received no reply.

When he attempted to open the door to the shop, something held it shut.

He took his shotgun and fired it through the closed door into the store, unaware that the burglar was a monk that he had seen around town, collecting alms.

Found the monk collapsed on the floor and bleeding

When Theerapol opened the door, he found the monk bleeding heavily and lying on the floor on the other side, the Chiang Rai Times further reported.

The store owner handed over his shotgun when the police arrived, while the monk was rushed by ambulance to Ubon Ratana hospital.

However, he was declared dead on arrival.

Two bars of soap and a can of talcum powder recovered

The police later recovered two bars of soap and a can of talcum powder from the monk's bag. They appeared to be unopened.

The Bangkok Post highlighted that the monk was from the Wat Manee Sila-art temple within the village.

The store owner was detained by the police on the grounds of intentionally causing the death of another person, although a preliminary investigation showed that he had no intention of killing the monk.

The police are also looking into why the monk broke into the store at three in the morning.

Top image screenshot from Google Maps