Police are hunting two gunmen suspected of killing a school director in Mae Fa Luang district on Friday.
The victim, identified as Sirasit (surname withheld), was shot with a 9mm handgun at a school in Moo 27 village of Mae Salong Nai subdistrict. He was pronounced dead at Mae Fa Luang Hospital.
A construction foreman at the school said two men were seen loitering near the premises about 10am, roughly an hour before the shooting.
The men remained there for 20-30 minutes, but workers paid little attention because they assumed the pair were looking for construction work.
Around 11am, workers heard two gunshots in quick succession and rushed towards the school’s meeting room, where they found Sirasit lying in a pool of blood outside.
The witness said the suspects, whose faces were concealed by hats, fled through the rear of the school.
A yellow-and-blue taxi was seen near the front gate shortly before the shooting, with a man standing nearby and talking on his mobile phone.
Police and forensic officers inspected the scene and collected evidence. Investigators have yet to establish a motive.
Residents said Sirasit had served about 20 years in prison for a drug offence before his release in 2019. He subsequently became the school’s director.
Some speculated the killing might be linked to a personal dispute.