Three die in Chumphon shooting trail as marine officer, 59, is suspected of killing girlfriend, 48, then driving 50 km to shoot perceived rival at a gambling house. A woman, 60, was seriously wounded before the gunman was found dead behind the wheel.
A government marine officer is suspected of shooting his girlfriend dead before driving more than 50 kilometres across Chumphon to kill a perceived rival. Niphon “Ae” Phongkaeo, 59, reportedly shot Damrat Sawetwong, 50, three times inside a secluded Pathio gambling house and seriously wounded another woman. Minutes later, he was found dead in his pickup with a .38-calibre revolver on his lap. Then came the chilling discovery that transformed the case. Police found his girlfriend Thanapha, 48, shot twice inside her home beside a farewell notebook reportedly bearing Niphon’s name. Investigators are now reconstructing a suspected jealousy dispute, an earlier reported death threat and two bloody crime scenes that left three dead and one seriously injured.
A government marine officer is suspected of killing his girlfriend before driving more than 50 kilometres to hunt down a perceived rival. He then allegedly shot the man dead and seriously wounded another woman inside a Chumphon gambling house.
Minutes later, he was found dead behind the wheel of his pickup with a .38-calibre revolver on his lap. Yet the full scale of Saturday’s bloodshed only emerged hours later. Police found his 48-year-old girlfriend shot twice inside her rented home. The discovery turned one deadly shooting into a two-district investigation involving three deaths and one seriously injured survivor.
The suspected gunman was Niphon “Ae” Phongkaeo, 59, an employee of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. Reports identified him as a boat-control officer attached to the department’s Bang Saphan centre. Police suspect his girlfriend, Thanapha, 48, was the first person killed. She worked as a pork vendor and lived in Mueang Chumphon district.
Police find pork vendor shot twice inside rented Chumphon home after her father raises the alarm
The first known crime scene was a rented commercial property in Soi 2, Mueang Chumphon. However, police did not discover Thanapha’s body until Saturday evening. At approximately 6 pm, officers received a report concerning a dead woman inside the property. Police Lieutenant Naruephon Chuchuay, a deputy investigation inspector, responded with investigators and rescue workers. A forensic doctor from Chumphon Hospital also attended.
The property formed part of a row containing eight commercial units. Outside the first unit, investigators found two vehicles linked to Niphon. One was a white car, while the other was a large motorcycle. Inside, police found Thanapha lying dead on a bed in the living area. Crucially, she had been shot twice.
One bullet struck around the right side of her mouth. Another hit her left breast or chest before exiting through her back. By then, blood around the wounds had already dried. Police initially estimated that Thanapha had been dead for at least five hours. That immediately pushed the suspected killing back into Saturday morning.
Earlier, Thanapha’s father had repeatedly tried to contact his daughter. When she failed to respond, he travelled to her rented property. However, he found the premises closed and could not reach her. He then questioned people living nearby. Notably, neighbours told him they had heard gunshots during the morning.
Farewell notebook found beside murdered woman as police trace marine officer’s journey to Pathio
In response, Thanapha’s father sought police assistance. Officers entered the property and found his daughter dead. They also found something else beside her body. A white notebook was sitting on a table near the bed. Its contents immediately became another important strand of the investigation.
The notebook contained handwritten farewell messages concerning family members. Separately, the writing referred to arrangements for making merit. The messages were reportedly signed “Ae Krab Niphon”. Police seized the notebook for examination. Investigators have not simply accepted its reported authorship and are examining it as evidence.
At the same time, initial inquiries pointed to a serious dispute between Niphon and Thanapha. Police are examining jealousy as the suspected cause of their confrontation. Investigators suspect Thanapha was shot during that dispute. Afterwards, Niphon is believed to have left the property.
What followed stretched the investigation more than 50 kilometres across Chumphon province. Police believe Niphon travelled from Mueang Chumphon towards Pathio district. His apparent destination was a newly built single-storey house in Moo 3, Chum Kho subdistrict. The property stood about 400 metres from the main road.
Gunman reaches secluded Pathio gambling house before witness sees three close-range shots being fired
More specifically, reports placed the house in Soi Khiam Thao. It stood near the road linking Pathio and Khlong Wang Chang railway stations. The owner was Damrat Sawetwong, 50. In addition, reports indicated that the property was regularly used for gambling.
A 75-year-old local man identified as Rayong described the operation to reporters. He said card games were regularly held at the house. According to his account, gambling could start at around 10 am and continue until approximately 1 am. Later, police found substantial quantities of playing-card equipment at the property.
Inside the house, meanwhile, events had turned deadly shortly after 10 am. A woman identified as Thipawan gave investigators a direct account. She said she had just arrived when Damrat prepared to stand and offer her a chair. Niphon was already inside.
Suddenly, according to Thipawan, Niphon produced a handgun. He then fired three shots at Damrat from close range. Another woman inside the property was also struck. She was identified as Kanawan Suwannachawi, 60.
Available reports indicate Kanawan was caught in the shooting and suffered serious injuries. Importantly, the supplied information does not establish that she was the principal target. Both victims were rushed to Pathio Hospital. Damrat’s injuries proved fatal, while Kanawan survived the initial attack.
Damrat dies and second woman is seriously wounded before marine officer is found dead in his pickup
For Damrat, there was no recovery. Doctors were unable to save the 50-year-old after the close-range shooting. Kanawan, meanwhile, remained seriously injured. Niphon had already left the immediate scene.
Outside, a white Isuzu extended-cab pickup was parked beside or behind the house. Niphon went to the vehicle and climbed inside. Soon afterwards, witnesses heard another gunshot. This time, they described the sound as quieter than the shots fired inside.
Police subsequently found Niphon dead in the driver’s seat. He had suffered a gunshot wound through his head. The bullet entered through his right temple and exited through the left side. More significantly, officers found a .38-calibre revolver resting on his lap.
From there, the investigation turned heavily towards ballistics. Reports said the revolver’s cylinder contained four rounds. One had been fired, leaving three live rounds and one spent casing. Yet investigators reportedly found additional ammunition evidence inside the vehicle.
Three spent cartridge cases were recovered from the pickup, according to detailed reports. Police also reportedly found another two unused rounds in Niphon’s trouser pocket. As part of this, investigators must establish exactly how the ammunition relates to each shooting. They must also compare ballistic evidence from both crime scenes.
Police recover revolver, spent cases and live rounds as ballistics probe links two shooting scenes
Nearby, police found a blue Toyota extended-cab pickup belonging to Damrat. Around that vehicle, another part of the operation emerged. Officers reportedly discovered a white fertiliser sack packed with hundreds of decks of playing cards. They also recovered a blue table covering and numerous discarded card wrappers.
Consequently, police seized the gambling material as evidence. Forensic officers also moved through the property collecting DNA and other physical evidence. Local information indicated that Damrat’s house had only recently been constructed. One account said the land had been sold approximately three months earlier.
On another front, a neighbour provided further information about the morning attack. The neighbour reported hearing three gunshots while a card game was reportedly underway. That account broadly matched Thipawan’s description of three shots being fired at Damrat. However, police faced a problem when seeking possible video evidence.
CCTV equipment at the property was reportedly not operating. Therefore, investigators may have no direct recording of the shooting inside the house. Instead, witness testimony and forensic evidence will be important in reconstructing the attack. Thipawan’s account provides police with a direct description of the moments before Damrat was shot.
Police examine jealousy claims as reports reveal gunman had wife in Surat Thani and another girlfriend
Meanwhile, information about the suspected motive became more complicated. Initial Pathio reports suggested Niphon believed Damrat was involved with his wife or female partner. Some early accounts also described Kanawan as Niphon’s wife. Later reporting, though, presented a different picture.
Niphon reportedly had a wife who worked as a government employee in Surat Thani province. She was reportedly in Surat Thani while the shootings unfolded. Moreover, she apparently knew nothing about the violence at the time. Relatives later contacted her with news of Niphon’s death.
She subsequently returned to Chumphon to deal with funeral arrangements. Thanapha, by contrast, was separately identified as Niphon’s girlfriend. Police are therefore examining the relationships linking Niphon, Thanapha and Damrat. Investigators received information that Niphon suspected Damrat was involved with Thanapha.
People associated with the gambling circle supplied another potentially important account. They claimed Niphon had become intensely suspicious about the pair. Significantly, one account described a direct warning only two days before the shootings.
Reported threat two days before killings emerges as police reconstruct 50-kilometre shooting trail
According to that information, a message was passed to Damrat through one of Thanapha’s friends. Niphon reportedly told Damrat to stay away from his girlfriend. The same account claimed he threatened to shoot Damrat if he refused. These claims have not been established as formal police findings.
Even so, investigators are examining that information while reconstructing events before Saturday’s killings. Police are also working to establish precisely what happened between Niphon and Thanapha. Their investigation now spans two separate scenes and a journey exceeding 50 kilometres.
The emerging sequence begins in Mueang Chumphon. Police suspect Thanapha was shot twice inside her rented home during the morning. Her body then remained undiscovered for hours. In the meantime, Niphon is believed to have left the property and headed towards Pathio.
There, he arrived at Damrat’s newly built house in Chum Kho. Thipawan said Niphon was already inside when she arrived shortly after 10 am. Damrat was preparing to offer her a chair. Seconds later, according to her account, Niphon pulled a handgun.
Three close-range shots followed. Damrat was fatally wounded, while Kanawan was also hit. Niphon then went outside and entered his Isuzu pickup. Shortly afterwards, another gunshot was heard.
Second crime scene transforms Pathio shooting into three-death case spanning two Chumphon districts
By the time police reached the vehicle, Niphon was dead behind the steering wheel. The .38-calibre revolver remained on his lap. At that stage, however, investigators still did not know the full extent of the day’s violence.
Hours later, Thanapha’s worried father went searching for his daughter. That search opened the second crime scene. By approximately 6 pm, police were examining another shooting more than 50 kilometres from Damrat’s house.
Inside the rented Mueang Chumphon property lay the third body connected with the sequence. Thanapha had two bullet wounds and dried blood around her injuries. Nearby sat the handwritten notebook containing farewell messages and the reported signature “Ae Krab Niphon”.
The discovery sharply expanded the investigation. Until then, early reports had concentrated on the Pathio shooting. The known toll involved Damrat’s death, Kanawan’s injuries and Niphon’s apparent suicide. Now, police had another dead woman, another shooting scene and another crucial timeline to establish.
Accordingly, investigators must determine the precise time Thanapha was killed. Her body was discovered at approximately 6 pm. Police initially estimated that she had been dead for at least five hours. Neighbours had also reported hearing gunfire during the morning.
Police compare timing, notebook and ballistics while tracing gunman’s movements between two scenes
That timing is being compared with events in Pathio. Thipawan placed the shooting there shortly after 10 am. Investigators must now determine when Niphon left Mueang Chumphon and reached Damrat’s house. His movements between both locations are central to the case.
Equally important is the notebook found beside Thanapha. Police must establish who wrote the messages and when they were written. The references to family and merit-making arrangements form part of that examination. The reported “Ae Krab Niphon” signature is also being scrutinised.
In parallel, forensic teams are examining the .38-calibre revolver and ammunition recovered in Pathio. Investigators have live rounds, spent casings and other ballistic evidence. They must compare that material with evidence recovered from both shooting scenes.
Separately, police are questioning witnesses from Mueang Chumphon and Pathio. They must establish the precise circumstances surrounding Kanawan’s shooting. Investigators are also examining the vehicles and Niphon’s suspected route between both districts.
The gambling operation provides another strand. Police reportedly recovered hundreds of decks of cards inside a fertiliser sack. They also seized a table covering and discarded card packaging. Yet the reportedly inactive CCTV means witnesses and forensic evidence become particularly important.
Against that backdrop, the relationship between the three central figures remains under investigation. Police are examining jealousy as the suspected motive but have not established a final motive. The reported threat against Damrat two days earlier also remains under examination.
Three dead and one woman seriously wounded as police piece together two-district Chumphon shootings
Niphon’s relatives later took his body to the Sai Chon Charity Foundation in Chumphon for funeral arrangements. His wife also returned from Surat Thani after relatives informed her about his death. Police, however, continued working across both crime scenes.
By then, the scale of the case was clear. Three people were dead across two districts. Another woman had been seriously wounded. One suspected gunman connected both scenes.
Thanapha, 48, was found shot twice inside her Mueang Chumphon home. Damrat Sawetwong, 50, died after being shot three times at close range in Pathio. Niphon “Ae” Phongkaeo, 59, was found dead inside his pickup. Kanawan Suwannachawi, 60, survived but suffered serious gunshot injuries.
Now, police are assembling the morning from witness accounts, ballistics, vehicles and physical evidence. They are also reconstructing a journey exceeding 50 kilometres between the two shooting scenes.
Chumphon shop owner thwarts fake cash transfer and seizes notes for police to pursue the bad guys
59 year old man murdered his drinking buddy fearing he was a ‘Phi Pop ghost’ in Khon Kaen on Thursday
The suspected sequence is stark. A woman was shot twice inside her rented home. A government marine officer then travelled across Chumphon to a secluded house used for card games. There, a witness says he fired three close-range shots at a perceived rival.
Another woman was also shot and seriously wounded. Minutes later, the suspected gunman was found dead behind the wheel of his pickup. A .38-calibre revolver rested on his lap.
Hours afterwards, police discovered the first woman’s body. Beside her was a notebook containing farewell messages reportedly signed “Ae Krab Niphon”. Investigators are now piecing together the precise chronology across both scenes. The toll stands at three dead and one seriously injured.
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