Deputy Village Chief Arrested for Shooting Fellow Deputy Chief—Police Crack Case After 25-Day Investigation
Police arrested a deputy village chief in Udon Thani Province for the fatal shooting of fellow deputy chief Boonma on April 19; ballistic evidence from shell casings matched the suspect's firearm, ending a 25-day investigation rooted in a 5
On May 13, 2025, at 5:00 a.m., Pol. Lt. Col. Ratchaponchai Pensonkram, commander of Chaiyawan Police Station, led investigators from Region 4 Police and Udon Thani Provincial Police to arrest Suwijit (surname withheld), 54, at his residence in Banyao Subdistrict, Wang Sam Moe District, Udon Thani Province. The arrest followed the shooting death of Boonma (surname withheld), 56, a deputy village chief, who was shot five times in the chest on April 19, 2025, in front of his home on Kham Bon-Noon Muang Huan Road.
Suwijit, also a deputy village chief and former military officer, had been engaged in cattle trading with the victim. During the 25-day investigation, police discovered the key conflict stemmed from a 50,000-baht debt dispute between the two men.
The critical breakthrough came from forensic evidence—specifically ballistic analysis of shell casings recovered at the crime scene, which matched the firearm in Suwijit's possession. "We traced physical evidence from the scene and established the connections that led us to identify this individual. Once the forensic evidence was conclusive, it formed the basis for the arrest warrant," Pol. Lt. Col. Ratchaponhai stated.
Police have charged Suwijit with premeditated murder and opposed bail, citing the violent and shocking nature of the crime. The case will proceed through the legal system.
