Police officer shoots mum, himself in suspected mercy-killing

Following a homicide report, Muang Nakhon Sawan police yesterday rushed at 11am to a two-storey commercial building in Tambon Wat Sai to find Lamom Ketbuddhatham, 75, with a single gunshot to her left temple in the living room.

Near her lay her tourist-policeman son, Pol Senior Sergeant-Major Pithak Ketbuddhatham, 48, who also had a gunshot on his right temple. Police also found Pithak's .38 pistol at the scene.

Lamom succumbed to her injury on the way to hospital while Pithak was declared dead at 4.15pm at Sawan Pracharak Hospital.

Pithak's wife Eiumduan Ketbuddhatham, 45, told police that her husband loved his mother very much and often called home to check on her condition after Lamom had a fall seven months ago and became paralysed.

She said Pithak took good care of his mother and often took her around the village on a wheelchair.

Eiumduan said she was on the second floor while her two children were in the backyard when they heard two gunshots. On hearing her two kids screaming that Pithak had killed his mother and committed suicide, she called the police.

It was suspected that Pithak became stressed by his mother's condition and did the mercy-killing before turning the gun on himself.