BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): A rogue Bangkok police officer shot and disarmed after a 24-hour siege at his house that began on Tuesday died from his injuries on Wednesday (March 15) night.
Police Lieutenant-Colonel Kittikan Saengboon, 51, was pronounced dead at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital at around 10pm local time, said Sai Mai police station chief Colonel Rangsan Sonsing.
He said Kittikan was shot six times in the chest, legs, and back and also suffered cuts from jumping through a glass window at his house during the arrest.
The tense standoff in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district ended just after noon on Wednesday, when police commandos shot and wounded the disturbed policeman, who had been firing shots from his house.
The 24-hour drama began around noon on Tuesday when Kittikan started firing shots into the air from his house on Soi Jiramakorn.
Kittikan, a Special Branch inspector at the Intelligence Development Centre, is reported to have had a history of mental illness.
On Tuesday, he had continued to discharge his weapon from the house overnight. Residents in the neighbourhood had to be evacuated.
Police then used tear gas and stun grenades in an effort to end the siege early on Wednesday morning.
Police commandos eventually gained entry to the house and shot and disarmed Kittikan at 12.10pm on Wednesday. He was rushed to hospital immediately.
There were no reports of other injuries or deaths from the incident.
On Wednesday evening, Police Major General Atthaphol Anusit, chief of Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Division 2, told the press that Kittikan may have been under stress after recently failing a psychological evaluation, which cost him a promotion opportunity.
He added that investigators would also consider other factors that could have triggered his shooting spree, including health, personal issues, and problems with the job.
