On Thursday, a former policeman killed 34 people, including 24 children, during a knife and gun rampage at a daycare center in Uthai Sawan, northeast Thailand.
The perpetrator was identified as Panya Khamrab, a 34-year-old former police officer who had been dismissed last year due to drug allegations and was facing trial on a drugs charge.
“The shooter came in around lunch time and shot four or five officials at the childcare center first,” according to the district official Jidapa Boonsom.
He forced his way into a locked room where the children, aged two to five years were sleeping, and massacred them including their eight months pregnant teacher.
Afterwards he returned home, killing anyone he met on the way. He later committed suicide at home after shooting dead his wife and child.
The tragedy is the second worst massacre involving children by a single killer in recent history, the other being the Norway massacre in 2011, were 69 teenagers lost their lives.
