Former police officer allegedly massacred dozens of toddlers at Thailand day care facility, at least 37 dead: Report

Former police officer allegedly massacred dozens of toddlers at Thailand day care facility, at least 37 dead: Report



A former police officer has allegedly terrorized a day care center in Thailand, killing at least 37 people, including himself.

According to reports, former Sergeant Panya Kamrap, 34, entered the the Child Development Center in Nong Bua Lamphu province around noon, perhaps searching for his 2-year-old stepson, who was often placed in care there, but who was not there that day. However, rather than leaving, Kamrap immediately began attacking teachers and children, witnesses said.

"I suddenly heard the sound, just sounded like firecrackers. So I looked back [and] the two staffs just collapsed on the floor," recalled one unidentified employee.

"Then he pulled another gun from his waist," the person added. "…I didn’t expect he would also kill the kids."

But, according to reports, that's exactly what he did. Police say that he then shot and stabbed nearly two dozen napping children, most of them age 3 and younger.

Kamrap opened "fire while the kids were sleeping," claimed Maj. Gen. Jirapob Puridet of the Thai Central Investigation Bureau. Every child in that room except one died in the attack.

Witnesses claimed that Kamrap did not say anything before or during the ambush.

After he left the Child Development Center, police say he returned to his home, where he then murdered his wife and stepson before turning a gun on himself. In all, police estimate that 37 people have died in the attack, 24 of whom were children. One of the care workers at the facility who died was a woman who was eight months pregnant. Most of the deaths were the result of "stabbing wounds," police said. The suspect's wife and stepson have been included in the death toll, but it is unclear whether Kamrap has as well.

Kamrap was a former policeman who was dismissed from his duties last year under suspicion that he was selling narcotics. Kamrap had been charged with selling narcotics and appeared in court earlier Thursday morning. The purpose of the court hearing and what happened during it are both unclear.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who called the deadly incident "shocking," is expected to visit the area on Friday to express his condolences and to assist the devastated community. CNN has described the province, located about 335 miles northeast of Bangkok, as "a largely peaceful and quiet area" where mass murders are "rare."


Former NFL player helps stop carjacking in front of daycare center he operates with his wife: 'I was trying to pull him out and slam the door on his leg'



When would-be carjackers saw former NFL cornerback Robert Blanton bolting out of Kiddie Academy daycare in Edina, Minnesota, last Wednesday and running toward them, they had the right idea in trying to get away.

Image source: WCCO-TV video screenshot

Blanton, 32, runs the daycare center with his wife, Erin, and was inside the facility with his daughter when he saw a woman struggling with one of the carjackers outside, WCCO-TV reported.

Image source: WCCO-TV video screenshot

What went down?

Edina police told the station that two men confronted the woman around 4 p.m. outside Kiddie Academy, and one of them demanded her keys. She complied, WCCO said, after which she grabbed her purse and ran toward the locked entrance of the daycare center.

Problem is, the carjacker wanted her purse, too, and he ran after the woman, the station said.

Blanton stands six feet and one inch tall, played at 208 pounds, made 177 tackles during his career, and didn't retire too long ago — so he can still hoof it like all pro defensive backs as you can see from surveillance video of the incident.

“I just bolted out the door,” Blanton told WCCO.

When Blanton got outside, the suspect ran and jumped into a vehicle where the other carjacker was waiting, the station said: “I was trying to pull him out and slam the door on his leg."

Image source: WCCO-TV video screenshot

Blanton can be heard on outdoor surveillance video yelling at the carjackers to get out of the vehicle, WCCO said, adding that Blanton said they tried running him over until he had to let go, and the suspects drove away.

“Attacking a parent at pick up from preschool is one of the more vulnerable people we have in our community,” he told station afterward.

The suspects' vehicle had been taken during a carjacking earlier in the day in Richfield, WCCO reported, adding that it was found abandoned later in St. Louis Park. No weapons were involved, and no one was hurt in the incident, the station said.

He says he's not a hero

Blanton — who played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2012 to 2015 and then for the Buffalo Bills from 2016 to 2017 before retiring — told WCCO he's "definitely not a hero" for doing what he did.

But the mother is, he said.

“I think the mom is a hero for fighting back and standing up for herself and allowing time [for me] to come and help her," Blanton added to the station.

Anything else?

Police are still searching for the suspects, who got away in a Chevy Traverse with Minnesota license plates reading NLV852, according to WCCO.