UPDATE: Co-worker arrested after Phuket airport shooting; personal conflict cited

Police have arrested a co-worker in connection with the fatal shooting of a 32-year-old concrete truck driver near Phuket airport, according to a report published by The Phuket News on 18 September 2026.

The report identified the arrested man as Sommai and said he worked for the same concrete company as the victim. Sommai was questioned and detained while the investigation continued. The Phuket News reported that police initially charged him with homicide, illegal possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm in public. Investigators collected and tested gunshot-residue evidence. Police searched for the firearm at Bang Sai Yamu Beach in Pa Khlok but had not recovered it, the report said.

The Phuket Express also reported that police had traced the shooting to a personal conflict between the two colleagues. An earlier Phuket News account said the motive remained under investigation, so the conflict is a reported police explanation rather than a definitive finding that closes the investigation.

Thalang Police received a report of the shooting at 8.21pm on 17 September 2026. Officers found Kittiphich Chinda, a 32-year-old driver for a private company, dead beside his motorcycle near the airport underpass on the northbound lanes of Thepkrasattri Road in Thep Krasattri, Thalang. He had been shot once in the right temple.

A black full-face helmet and a pool of blood were found nearby. Police also recovered one .30 Special-calibre cartridge case and sent it for examination. Forensic officials and a doctor took part in the scene examination and post-mortem process.

Police said the victim had finished work at about 7.44pm and was travelling home to Ban Mak Prok in Mai Khao. A witness told investigators that he and another motorcyclist had travelled from Muang Mai towards Tha Chatchai. The two motorcyclists stopped near the new airport intersection, after which the witness heard one gunshot and saw the victim collapse on his motorcycle.

Police initially said the victim may have been followed before the shooting. Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage along the route and continuing to establish the motive. Thalang Police Superintendent Pol Col Nikorn Chuthong is overseeing the investigation, with Pol Lt Col Warawut Semsom as investigating officer, according to The Phuket News.

The reports spell the victim's first name in three ways: Kittiphich in the initial account, Kittiphit in the later Phuket News report and Kittipich in The Phuket Express report. The later Phuket News report gives his full name as Kittiphit Chinda. The reports refer to the same 32-year-old victim, but the spelling difference has not been resolved.