Pen Gun Accident Kills Man in Trang Palm Plantation
A 43-year-old man in Trang died after his homemade pen gun accidentally discharged, shooting him in the abdomen; he tried to reach his parents for help but collapsed behind the house. Police found the weapon, a spent casing, and bullets, an
Blood drops formed a long trail. A pen gun accidentally fired into a young man's abdomen. He tried to crawl to his parents for help before collapsing and dying behind the house. Police investigated the scene.
On November 2, 2026, Pol. Lt. Col. Kamondech Po Thong, Acting Superintendent of Huai Yot Police Station, received a report of a shooting death at a house in Huai Nang Subdistrict, Huai Yot District, Trang Province. He rushed to investigate with Huai Yot investigators, Trang Provincial investigators, Trang forensic police, Sawang Rung Ruam Jai Foundation rescuers from Trang, and the on-duty doctor from Huai Yot Hospital.
The scene was a two-story concrete house about 100 meters from the front to the back. The deceased was found: Mr. Kittisak (surname withheld), 43 years old, wearing a blue T-shirt with white screen print on back, denim shorts, and flip-flops, lying face down dead.
About 4 meters away, a pen gun separated from its casing was found, along with a spent casing. Inside his pants pocket, two live rounds were also found. Officials collected everything as evidence and examined the scene. A long trail of blood drops connected the weapon to the body.
An autopsy revealed a single gunshot wound to the upper abdomen that pierced the lung, a vital organ, causing death. He had likely been dead for 3-4 hours.
Ballistics matching confirmed the spent casing and remaining rounds were the same type. Officers urgently reviewed CCTV from the front of the house and heard a single gunshot at the time of the incident, but no outsiders were seen entering or leaving. The deceased had no known conflicts with anyone, was typically reserved, and helped his parents with their garden. Police suspect an accident. The family does not dispute the cause of death and took the body for religious rites at Wat Wang Lam in Huai Nang.
The deceased previously worked as a tourist van driver in Ao Nang, Krabi, but returned home after the COVID-19 pandemic and separated from his wife in Phatthalung, with whom he has one child. He then returned to farming and lived with his parents, the three of them together in the house.
At the time of the incident, he likely walked into the palm plantation behind the house while carrying the pen gun. The weapon accidentally discharged, shooting him in the abdomen. He apparently tried to crawl back to the house to seek help from his parents but did not make it and collapsed dead.
His parents were asleep inside the house and heard nothing; pen guns are not as loud as conventional firearms. The incident has caused great sorrow for his parents and relatives.
This serves as a warning for anyone possessing Thai homemade firearms, particularly pen guns. Besides being illegal, they pose a danger to the carrier and others because pen guns lack standard safety mechanisms — no safety catch or reliable drop-safety system. When carried in a pocket, waistband, or under a pillow, any jarring, spring slippage, or pressure can cause an accidental discharge, resulting in serious injury or death.
