Man kills ex-wife in shooting at Bangkok mall
BANGKOK: A man killed his ex-wife and wounded another person at a shopping centre in Bangkok yesterday, police said.
The incident occurred 10 days after a mass shooting at another mall in Thailand's north-east.
The gunman then fled the Century The Movie Plaza, near the Thai capital's Victory Monument, and was on the run, Thai police said.
"One person died and another was injured," police Colonel Kissana Pattanacharoen said.
Police said in a statement they knew the suspect's identity and were working to apprehend him.
The gunman entered a beauty clinic at the mall where his ex-wife worked and opened fire, killing her and wounding a bystander, Col Kissana said.
Police colonel Bavornphob Sunthornraekha said yesterday's incident was over "personal problems" and not a repeat of the shooting in the north-eastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima in which 29 people were shot to death.
"It was over jealousy," he said. "It is not a copycat incident."
The nine-storey mall, best known for its top-floor cinema, was continuing to operate and only the area where the shooting took place was cordoned off.
The plaza is connected to the Victory Monument skytrain station, a transit hub that was crowded with commuters in the late afternoon rush hour.
PREVIOUS SHOOTING
Ten days earlier, a soldier killed at least a dozen people at Nakhon Ratchasima's Terminal 21 shopping centre.
He had earlier killed his commanding officer, other soldiers at his base and several people at a Buddhist temple.
Guns are easily obtainable in Thailand and disputes between lovers or family members often play out in bloody violence, drawing headlines over the deadly incidents.
The Feb 8 shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima has incited public anger against the military.
The soldier was able to steal assault rifles from an army depot before embarking on the killing spree, and railed on his Facebook page against unfair treatment by a commanding officer before the shooting.
He posted live updates while carrying out his murderous rampage, killing civilians before holing up in the mall for about 17 hours. - REUTERS, AFP
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