A police officer is in critical condition after being shot by a colleague following a workplace dispute at a highway police service centre in Chachoengsao province.
The Chachoengsao police shooting took place at around 1am yesterday, July 23, in the car park outside the Bang Khla Highway Police Service Centre in Bang Khla district.
The injured officer was identified as Police Sub-Lieutenant Yutthapong. He sustained gunshot wounds to the chest, left arm and hip before being rushed to Buddhasothorn Hospital for emergency treatment. Hospital officials have not released an update on his condition.
Police arrested the accused, Police Senior Sergeant Major Phitsanu Malaisorn, at the scene after he reportedly waited to surrender. Officers also seized a 9mm handgun believed to have been used in the shooting.
According to witnesses, Yutthapong was the head of the highway police service centre. Before the incident, he and Phitsanu had attended a meal with more than 10 fellow officers before returning to the station.
Witnesses told investigators the pair began arguing at the restaurant and continued the dispute during the journey back to the service centre.
The girlfriend of a maid employed at the centre told police she heard the officers arguing loudly in the car park before several gunshots were fired. She said she then found Yutthapong lying on the ground with serious injuries.
Channel 7 reported that more than 10 shots were fired during the incident. Phitsanu admitted the dispute was related to work but declined to provide further details. Investigators said he appeared to be under significant stress during questioning.
According to reports, the disagreement may have stemmed from differing views on work procedures linked to the officers’ positions and age difference. Phitsanu stated he would speak only in the presence of his lawyer.
The accused was scheduled to be taken to Chachoengsao Provincial Court today, July 24, for temporary detention while the investigation continues.
In a separate incident reported in February, a police officer at Huai Khwang Police Station in Bangkok accidentally shot a colleague during a firearms inspection before a training exercise. Police said the shooting was accidental and not the result of any personal dispute.
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