A teenage suspect killed his grandparents before shooting dead at least six more people at a school near Bangkok on Friday, police said.

The shooter, identified as a 14-year-old ninth-grade student, first shot dead his grandparents at their home using his grandfather’s handgun. He then went to Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, just north of the Thai capital, where he killed three teachers and three students, national police said in a statement.

Dozens of police and emergency responders gathered outside the school on Friday, while parents raced to pick up their children and tearful students and staff comforted each other outside.

“I was afraid that I would die, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams,” said Pawarisa Maylissa, a grade 12 student who hopes to attend medical school. “I heard many gunshots very loudly because it seemed the suspect was on the floor directly above us. I could even hear bullets hitting the floor.”

Fifteen injured students were not struck by gunfire but hurt as they were trying to flee, deputy interior minister Polapee Suwunchwee told local broadcaster Thai PBS.

The shooter was also reported dead, according to local media reports citing authorities. Some reports said police officers had shot and killed the suspect, while others said he had died by suicide.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the scene on Friday afternoon, said the attack may have been driven by excessive academic pressure, as the suspect’s grandparents were reportedly very strict with his studies. A friend of the gunman confirmed that he was under great pressure recently and had made thorough preparations before the shooting, and had even posted photos of the gun he used on social media.

“It’s such a terrible incident. It should never have happened. How could this happen in our country?” Anutin told reporters at Bangkok’s Government House. He said the government would promote stricter gun control measures, and that relevant departments must strengthen supervision of gun ownership.

According to Thai media reports, police found on the suspect’s computer that he had searched and studied an American school shooting case. Authorities recovered a handgun at the scene, along with a large quantity of ammunition in the suspect’s bag.

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, with around 10 million firearms estimated to be in circulation — one for every seven inhabitants. Past promises of tightening gun laws have not prevented repeated shootings.

In February, Thai police shot and arrested a teenager who opened fire at a school in the south of the country, killing the principal and wounding two students. In 2022, an ex-policeman armed with a gun and a knife stormed into a nursery in the country’s north and murdered 24 children and 12 adults, one of Thailand’s deadliest massacres.

Anutin said no one is allowed to carry guns into public places unless performing official duties.