Thanakorn Theerawarodom was taken into custody as he was leaving his room at Kasemsarn Hotel in Chanthaburi province this morning. Police had a warrant for his arrest on a charge of murder.
Earlier news reports said that a court policeman shot former Pol Maj Gen Thanin Chantratip after he had fired shots that killed two of his adversaries in a long-running lawsuit, in a Chanthaburi courtroom yesterday morning. (See story here.)
Pol Col Krisana Patanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, today said that surveillance camera footage showed that Mr Thanakorn took the court policeman’s pistol and shot back at the retired police major-general.
Thanin, 67, used a Glock .22 pistol to shoot prominent lawyer Bancha Porameesanaporn and his wife, and two other lawyers.
Before the shooting, they were all waiting for a hearing in a case related to their family dispute over the inheritance of 3,800 rai of land in Tha Mai district of Chanthaburi.
Thanin and Bancha were brothers-in-law, their wives the daughters of the late landowner. Bancha and one of his lawyers died in the courtroom. Thanin died later in hospital.
Sarawut Benjakul, secretary-general of the Office of the Judiciary, today said that surveillance camera footage showed Thanin slipping into the courtroom without being screened for weapons while the court policeman was standing at attention for the morning national anthem played at 8am.
Read original story here.