Mother Grieves After Son Shot Dead at Bangkok Traffic Light
A 22-year-old polytechnic student was shot dead by a motorcycle-riding gunman at a Bangkok traffic light in Ladkrabang district, leaving his mother unable to identify a motive or known conflict with the killer.
On July 16, 2026, at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Chatrapech Chanla, 39, mother of Natthapong Charoen Dong, 22, a second-year electrical technology student at Minburi Polytechnic College, came to receive her son's body. He was shot and killed by an assailant on a motorcycle at a traffic light near Suthathoboch Temple in Ladkrabang district, Bangkok, in the early hours of the morning.
Chatrapech revealed that she did not know of any problems her son had with anyone. She only knew that he attended school with good intentions. She was aware that his friends had minor disputes with others, but never imagined it would escalate to violence of this severity.
She stated that as a mother, she constantly reminded her son to be careful. He dressed normally for school, never had conflicts with anyone, and never carried weapons. When asked about the brazen attack at the traffic light, she said such behavior is inappropriate for someone his age and that she does not know who the perpetrator is. She appealed to the killer to take responsibility for what happened, saying that even if they evade the law, they will face karmic justice.
"Just as the perpetrator fled to save their own life, our son also wanted to save his own life," the victim's mother said.
The family will later perform merit-making rituals at Srivaree Noi Temple in Bang Sao Thong, Samut Prakan province.
