Phuket police have arrested a 32 year old man following a fatal shooting in Karon on New Year’s Day. According to a Phuket Express report, one man died in the shooting, which took place in front of an unnamed hotel in the early hours of January 1.
Police and rescue workers were notified of the incident on Kok Tanod Road at around 4.30am and arrived to find a pool of blood on the street in front of the hotel. A 30 year old injured man, named as Anupong Panpeng, was rushed to hospital but subsequently died.
According to eye witnesses, the victim had previously argued with the shooter, who worked at the hotel. Anupong’s girlfriend also worked there and it’s understood the victim had clashed with the suspect, due to his suspicion that the latter liked his girlfriend.
Anupong reportedly last warned the suspect to stay away from his girlfriend in November. The woman has not been named, to protect her privacy.
On January 1, Anupong arrived at the hotel to pick up his girlfriend, who had finished her shift. Meanwhile, the suspect had finished work earlier and gone home to pick up a gun. He returned to the hotel and fired a shot at Anupong as the victim arrived. The suspect then fled the scene.
The Phuket Express reports that later that morning, at 7 am, Karon Police arrested a man named only as “Mr Num”. He was arrested at his rented room in Chalong and reportedly admitted to police that he had shot the victim due to their conflict over the victim’s girlfriend. He remains in police custody.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
