BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — A woman was killed Tuesday at a Bangkok mall in shooting Thai police blamed on “jealousy”, less than two weeks after a soldier went on a gun rampage which left 29 dead at another shopping complex.
The incident occurred inside a cosmetic clinic at the busy downtown Century Mall when a man burst in and gunned down his former partner over an alleged affair.
One woman was killed and another was wounded — though authorities would not immediately confirm their identities or exact relationship with the shooter.
The killing comes just 10 days after a mass shooting at another mall in northeastern Thailand, in which a soldier killed 29 people before police shot him dead.
But police colonel Bavornphob Sunthornraekha insisted that Tuesday’s incident was over “personal problems” and not a repeat of the shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima, the northeastern city.
“It was over jealousy,” he said. “It is not a copycat incident.”
The suspect remains at large, police said.
Guns are easily obtainable in Thailand and disputes between lovers or family members often play out in bloody violence, drawing headlines over the deadly brawls.
The February 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.
© Agence France-Presse