Homemade Gun Accident Injures Couple in Phuket
A homemade firearm accidentally discharged in a Phuket home on November 10, injuring a 21-year-old man in the wrist and his 18-year-old girlfriend in the ankle. The couple had been together for two years with no history of conflict. Police seized the weapon, two shotgun shells, and five .22 caliber rounds, and are investigating the man for illegal possession of a modified firearm.
On November 10, 2026, Pol. Lt. Col. Warawut Senop, an investigator at Thalang Police Station in Phuket, was alerted by the Thep Krasattri Subdistrict Rescue Unit that two people had been injured by a homemade firearm at a house in Moo 11, Thep Krasattri, Thalang District. Officers rushed to the scene.
The injured were identified as Mr. Pitikan, 21, and Ms. Warinthida, 18. Rescue workers had already taken them to hospital; only bloodstains remained at the house. A search of the room uncovered a homemade short-barrel Thai-style handgun, two 12-gauge shotgun shells, and five .22 caliber rounds. Police seized all items as evidence.
At Thalang Hospital, doctors found Mr. Pitikan had a left wrist injury while Ms. Warinthida suffered a right ankle wound; both were receiving further treatment.
Preliminary witness statements revealed the couple had lived together for about two years without prior disputes. At the time of the incident, the woman was lying on a sofa in their room when the man retrieved the gun from a storage box and it accidentally discharged, injuring both. Forensic officers from Phuket Provincial Police examined the scene, photographed evidence, and impounded the firearm.
Mr. Pitikan told police the gun had belonged to his late grandfather and he had kept it in his possession. Investigators will continue the inquiry before proceeding with legal action.
