At least 36 dead, including 22 children, after shooting at Thai day care

At least 36 people died, including 22 children, when a former police officer opened fire at a day care center in northern Thailand on Thursday, police said.

Col. Jackrapat Wijitwaitaya, police superintendent at Naklang Police, told NBC News 19 boys and three girls were among the 22 children killed in the attack in Uthai Sawan, which is about 300 miles northeast of the capital city of Bangkok.

Police identified the gunman as 34-year-old Panya Khamrab, a former police officer at Na Wang Police Station in Nong Bua Bamphu province until he was arrested on methamphetamines charges.

Khamrab died by suicide after killing his wife and child, according to police. Wijitwaitaya told NBC News police are still investigating a motive for the attack.

Police said the shooting began around 12:30 p.m. local time. District official Jidapa Boonsom told Reuters there were about 30 children inside at the time of the attack, and that the attacker forced his way into a locked classroom where children were sleeping.

At least 12 others were injured during the attack, eight of them critically wounded, according to the office of Police Gen. Surachete Hakparn.

After the shooting, Khamrab hit people with his vehicle and fired shots on the street as he fled the scene, according to the Royal Thai Police. Once he arrived at his home, he killed his wife and child before he killed himself, police said.

Earlier in the day before the shooting, Khamrab had been in court on the drug charge that he was fired from the police force over, according to the Royal Thai Police.

Prayuth Chan-ocha, Thailand's prime minister, called the shooting "shocking" in a statement, and ordered Lt. Gen. Yanyong Wech-Osoth, commander-in-chief of the police, to fly to Nong Bua Lamphu province to assist with the investigation.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com