A 76-year-old man is believed to have shot his 66-year-old wife before killing himself at their home in Song Phi Nong district on Monday.
About 6pm, local police were alerted to gunshots at a house in Moo 4, tambon Bang Ta Then. At the scene, officers discovered Saman, 76, and his wife Samruay, 66, dead outside their home.
Saman had a gunshot wound to his right temple. A 9mm pistol with one spent cartridge lay near his left foot.
Samruay had been shot twice, in the left temple and right chest. Police recovered three 9mm shell casings and one cartridge from the scene.
Their youngest son, Somchai, 49, said both parents suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. His father had recently developed Parkinson’s disease, causing tremors and memory lapses.
“He frequently spoke of wanting to end his life rather than be a burden on his children, and worried that my mother would struggle alone after his death,” Somchai said. “He always said that even though they weren’t born together, they wanted to die on the same day. I thought it was just talk, but he actually went through with it.”
Pol Col Prinya Kaochawat, superintendent of Bang Ta Then station, confirmed neighbours reported hearing three gunshots.
“Their son had visited that afternoon. The incident occurred in the evening,” he said.
The investigation was continuing.