A police sergeant major was arrested after he fatally shot his superior at Ban Pong district police station in Ratchaburi province following a heated quarrel Saturday night.
Witnesses said that the victim, Pol Cpt Sayant Chaichoke, the deputy inspector for traffic affairs attached to Ban Pong police station, arrived at the station late Saturday night after finishing with his field inspection of the setup of road block at Kok Mor intersection in the municipal area.
The police captain was then reported of a heated quarrel between one of his subordinates, Pol Sgt-Maj Thirapong Pothong, a traffic police squad leader, had a heated argument with Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Amnart Charoenchai, also a traffic police officer who also serves as driver to the police superintendent.
Pol Cpt Sayant then demanded to see the two men in order to settle the dispute and when he saw Thirapong hold a service pistol as he approached him from the downstairs, he ordered the latter to put the gun back in its holster.
But Thirapong, apparently still in a foul mood, refused, prompting Sayant to try to grab the gun from the former’s hand, resulting in the fatal shooting.
It was reported that six shots were fired from Thirapong’s 9mm automatic pistol and four of them hit Sayant who was immediately rushed to the district hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The alleged gunman escaped from the police station in a motorcycle-taxi but was later apprehended.
