UPDATED: The two staff members including a young Thai woman died at the scene while the young child, a little boy, was removed to hospital where he passed away shortly after.
A two-year-old child and two staff members of a gold store have been killed with more than 4 injured by a gunman who robbed the Aurora gold shop at the Robinsons Shopping centre in Lopburi on Thursday night.
A robbery at a Thai gold store in Lopburi resulted in a bloodbath on Thursday night after a crazed robber shot dead a security guard at the outlet and earlier a young Thai woman behind the counter.
The man, wearing a full-faced woollen balaclava with camouflage trousers, then shot a two-year-old little boy who died from his injuries in hospital.
The boy was walking past the gold shop with his mother when the attacker began opening fire and was hit in the head.
Police reports suggest that the man’s gun was fitted with a sound suppressor so that shots could not be heard in the distance.
Carnage at Robinsons in Lopburi
The carnage took place at the Robinson’s Department Store in Lopburi province approximately 100 km to the north of Bangkok in central Thailand. The shooting and killings are believed to have occurred at around 9 pm.
The savage robber began shooting even before he robbed the gold shop. He then jumped over the counter and swiped three trays of gold with a retail value of ฿500,000 before making his escape.
He showed scant value for life by murdering the security officer at the centre on his way out.
The killer was seen making away on a red and white Yamaha Fina motorbike which police say had a licence plate affixed to it.
Medics could not save the 2-year-old little boy
Police reports from the scene say that the two gold shop staff died at the scene while the little boy was taken to hospital where medics could not save her life.
It is understood from sources that at least five other people, including a foreign tourist, were injured in the madness and rushed to hospital for treatment.
Armed robber and killer escaped the precincts of the shopping centre on a motorbike
The robber, now also a mass murderer, escaped the precincts of the popular department store with his ill-gotten gold leaving behind a public in shock and surrounded by pools of blood.
Police have recovered CCTV footage of the villain making his escape on the motorcycle as a huge manhunt gets underway.
Police at a loss to understand the cruelty of Thursday’s robbery and mass killing. They are dealing with a monster who must be brought to justice
Police Lieutenant General Amphol Buarapporn, the commissioner of Regional Police Division 1, is leading the investigation and efforts to tracck down what appears to be a monster whose actions have shocked the public and police alike.
‘I wonder what state his mind was in. A woman died. A child died. You wanted gold. But why must people be killed? I cannot imagine such a cruel mind. I ask people to help find him. It was appalling. He just shot people upon his arrival,’ the police chief said.
Police have confirmed that armed commando units have been deployed together to assist investigating officers to bring the killer to justice as swiftly as possible.
Further reading:
Party over for 45 year old composed armed robber who took ฿4 million in Bangkok gold shop raid
Police near closing the ฿9 million gold robbery case in Khon Kaen as the last suspect returns
https://www.facebook.com/thaiexaminer/videos/633328320807862/
