Note: This article contains reporting on a suicide. Audience discretion is advised.

The Thai teenager, who is suspected of killing two foreign women and injuring five people in a shooting at Bangkok's Siam Paragon mall on Oct. 3, had suffered a psychological breakdown, Reuters reported the Thai police as saying.

The 14-year-old had also modified a handgun designed to fire blanks for the shooting.

According to Bangkok Post, the two killed in the shooting were a 34-year-old Chinese woman and a Burmese woman.

The five wounded included a Chinese woman, a 28-year-old Lao woman, and three Thai nationals.

Ammunition found in suspected gunman's room

When Thai police searched the suspected gunman's room at his home, they found many rounds of ammunition and an airgun target, reported Bangkok Post.

A search in his phone also reportedly turned up videos of him practising using a firearm.

On Oct. 4, Thai police further revealed that the suspected gunman had been receiving psychological treatment, reported Reuters.

However, he had not taken his prescribed medication on the day of the shooting.

Suspected gunman heard a "noise" that "told" him to shoot

Thai police chief Torsak Sukvimol also added that investigators were looking into the suspected gunman's background and planned on speaking to his friends, who were online gamers, about his mental state.

Specifically, the police will investigate whether the teenager exhibited violent and aggressive conduct previously.

Sukvimol had also questioned the suspected gunman, who was detained after his arrest on Tuesday afternoon.

The teenager appeared to have "heard" someone speaking to him, and he heard a "noise" that told him to shoot, the police chief said.

Background

On the afternoon of Oct. 3, footage showing shoppers fleeing the Siam Paragon mall in response to sounds of gunshots began circulating online.

At around 5pm local time, the Thai police managed to corner the suspected gunman inside a furniture store before eventually pinning him down.

The shooting took place approximately a year after a former Thai police officer slaughtered 37 people, including 24 children, during an hours-long knife-and-gun attack at a daycare centre in northeast Thailand on Oct. 6, 2022.

The former police officer then killed his wife and his child at home before taking his own life, reported Reuters.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

Top images via X