A former British soldier has died after shooting himself in the head in front of shocked staff at a gun range in Thailand.
The 36-year-old turned up to a shooting range in Pattaya and began his day by firing 10 shots at a paper target at around 11.30am this morning.
But just after, shocked staff watched as he lowered his head and put the gun to his right temple before pulling the trigger.
Paramedics who arrived at the scene found the soldier on the floor gasping for air in a pool of blood.
He was rushed to the nearest hospital in the Banglamung district, but died later in the evening.
Police are now interviewing staff and other witnesses who were at the range at the same time as the soldier.
He was carrying an ID card that ‘The British Army’ printed on it and staff said he had visited the range around six times before.
Manager Santat Senkhor, 33, said: ‘I am still in shock after what happened. The British person was a regular customer who has been to the shooting range about five or six times.
‘Today, he rented two types of firearms, a short gun and a long gun, and bought 25 rounds of ammunition, which I didn’t think was unusual. There were no signs of any abnormality and I served him as usual.
‘He fired a handgun, two sets of five shots each. At the start of the third set [he] hit the target twice, but then for the third shot he turned the muzzle to his temple.
‘He lowered his head and shot himself one time in the brain and fell to the ground. I called the police straight away.’
Upon checking the CCTV, police found that the soldier had spent around 30 minutes sitting silently by a pond at the entrance to the facility before going inside.
Staff said they did not find it unusual because ‘he was a regular customer’.
Investigating officer Pacharak Suriya from the Huai Yai district police station in Chonburi province said ‘many witnesses had to be interrogated’.
The cop added: ‘The British man was taken to hospital and paramedics attempted to save his life.
‘We now have to contact the relatives of the dead man to further deduce the true cause. There are also many witnesses to interview.’
