Marine Official Shoots Gambling House Owner Over Love Rival

A Department of Marine Resources official, jealous over his girlfriend secretly dating a gambling den owner, stormed the house and opened fire, killing the owner before shooting himself. Deputy Inspector Sayantr Tumrawat of Pathio Police Station received the report at 11:00 on September 26, 2569, of a shooting with multiple casualties and injuries at a house on Kiam Thao Alley, Moo 3, Chumkhao Subdistrict, Pathio District, Chumphon Province. Officers from Pathio rescue units, the Chumphon Press Association, and Chumphon Charitable Foundation rushed to the scene of a newly constructed single-story concrete house with one air-conditioned room located about 400 meters from the Pathio-Khlong Wang Chang Railway Line. Investigation of the hallway revealed a large pool of blood, with two people seriously wounded by gunfire: Damras, 50, the homeowner, found lying in a pool of blood near the refrigerator, and Kanawan, 60, also wounded nearby. Officers rushed both to Pathio Hospital, but Damras died from his injuries. Outside the house, near a blue Toyota pickup registered in Chumphon belonging to Damras, officers found a white Isuzu pickup also registered in Chumphon with the engine running. Inside the driver's side, they discovered the body of Niphon (nicknamed Oe), 59, a Department of Marine Resources and Coastal Zone official stationed at Bang Saphan Center. He had been shot through the right temple with an exit wound on the left temple, blood and brain matter scattered inside. A .38 caliber revolver was found in the footwell with four rounds in the chamber (one already fired, three remaining), three spent shell casings on the floor, and two unused rounds in the deceased's pants pocket. According to witness testimony from a woman present at the scene, around 10:00 that morning she arrived at the house. As she entered, Damras was about to stand and offer her a chair when Niphon, who was standing inside, suddenly drew his weapon and fired three consecutive shots at Damras. One bullet grazed Kanawan, causing her to fall wounded. After the shooting, Niphon ran to the white pickup parked behind the house. A single soft gunshot was then heard, and when people rushed to check, they found Niphon had shot himself in the head to escape punishment. A neighbor, Rayong, 75, reported that the house belonged to Damras and had recently been converted into an illegal gambling den where card players gathered from 10:00 to 1:00 am daily. He was eating when he heard three consecutive gunshots and a woman screaming for help. Before he could investigate, he heard a fourth, softer shot. When he arrived, he found Niphon dead in the truck and helped rush the injured woman to the hospital. Gambling sources revealed that Niphon, who had a wife living in Surat Thani Province, had become entangled with a woman named Pearl, a pork vendor in Tha Sae District and a regular card player at the gambling den. Recently, Niphon became jealous and suspicious that Pearl was involved in a deeper relationship with Damras, the homeowner.