A Thai police officer fatally shot a Canadian man and wounded his pregnant companion during a scuffle outside a bar in northern Thailand, authorities said Monday.
The officer told investigators the shooting was an accident but he was charged with premeditated murder, said police Col. Sombat Panya of Pai district in northern Mae Hong Son.
John Leo Del Pinto, 25, died early Sunday of two gunshot wounds - one to the face and one to the torso - and his partner, Carly Reisig, also of Canada, was in hospital with a bullet wound in her body, Sombat said.
Their hometowns were not immediately known, Sombat said.
The couple, who had rented a home in the town Mae Hong Son, were drinking at a bar in Pai and began arguing, Sombat said, citing witnesses.
Outside the bar, their argument turned physical and when a police officer tried to intervene the couple attacked him, Sombat said.
The officer, Sgt. Uthai Dechawiwat, told investigators Del Pinto tried to grab his pistol and the gun "accidentally went off" three times, Sombat said.
However, Uthai was charged with premeditated murder for Del Pinto's death and with "intent to kill" in connection with Reisig, Sombat said. Uthai was released on bail.
The couple had rented a home in Mae Hong Son, on the border with Myanmar, for several years but took regular trips in and out of Thailand to extend shot-term tourist visas, Sombat said.
Source: Canadian Press
Canadian man killed, pregnant woman wounded by Thai cop
Canadian man killed, pregnant woman wounded by Thai cop
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This account from the girl was in the Nation
SURVIVOR'S CLAIM
Cop 'executed my best friend'
Officer 'hit me, shot Leo twice, then fired at me' Published on January 8, 2008
A young Canadian woman told yesterday how a Thai policeman shot dead her best friend in Pai in the North, then shot another bullet into his heart as he lay on the ground.
Carly Reisig, 24, said the policeman had no grounds at all for the attack - and that after he shot fellow Canadian John Leo del Pinto, the officer turned his gun on her and shot her in the chest.
Speaking from her bed in hospital in Chiang Mai, Reisig, from Chilliwack, British Columbia, rejected a police statement that suggested Sgt-Major Uthai Dechawiwat, 37, had intervened to break up a fight and his gun had discharged in a struggle.
She pointed to her chest where the bullet was lodged close to her own heart.
"There never was a fight. That is not true," she said. "John was my ex-boyfriend, but still my best friend. We had nothing to argue about. We had been drinking in the Be-Bop Bar in Pai and were heading for a last drink at the Bamboo Bar near the bridge.
"We were walking together. My Thai boyfriend Fuen was walking slightly behind.
"A man came up to me on
the road near Pee Dang's Restaurant and hit me for no reason.
"My face was painted with face paint, for fun, but I don't know why he hit me. We had never met him before, never seen him before. We were unarmed and walking down the road after a good night out.
"He was dressed in plain clothes, a white T-shirt. Leo shouted at him, 'You can't hit her!' and pushed him away from us. Then the man went to his motorbike and got his gun, and Leo tried to get it away from him.
"They had a struggle for the gun, then the man got control of the gun and stepped back and shot Leo directly in the face.
"Leo fell to the ground and the man pointed the gun at his heart and fired a second shot. Then he turned around to me and aimed for my heart and shot me in the chest.
"I blacked out and when I came to I saw Leo lying dead on the road beside me. My lungs filled up with blood and I couldn't breathe.
"I went to Pai Hospital and then to a hospital in Chiang Mai. They had to put a tube into my lungs to drain the blood so that I could breathe again.
"I can't believe that my best friend is dead and I've got a bullet right beside my heart.
"I have never been married, I am not pregnant. Leo was my ex-boyfriend from Canada. He had arrived in Pai a few days before to see me."
Sitting by her bed was her boyfriend Rattaporn Vara-wadee, an artist nicknamed Fuen.
He said: "Nothing we did gave this man the right to take lives. We are angry now and we need help and a good lawyer. We are shocked to hear that the policeman is already out on bail."
Asked again if they had been fighting, she replied: "Not at all, he was my best friend." She had spoken to del Pinto's family and said: "They are not doing well."
Suchart Pantai, the owner of Be-Bop Bar, said he saw the couple and Fuen leave his bar at about 1am. "There was no fighting. But I heard from other sources that they were play-fighting as they walked."
Reisig has been in Thailand for a year, leaving occasionally on visa runs. She has worked in Canada with physically and mentally handicapped people.
John Leo del Pinto, also 24, from Calgary in Alberta in west Canada, was a former music student who earned a living as a promoter and concert organiser.
Uthai Dechawiwat has been charged with murder, manslaughter and attempted murder, but the version of events issued by police in Pai is at total variance with Miss Reisig's story.
Case investigator Pol Lt-Colonel Sombat Panya said the couple had been drinking in a local pub and had become involved in a drunken brawl after del Pinto, who recently arrived in Thailand, found that Reisig was pregnant to a Thai man known as Fuen.
The couple continued arguing after they left the pub when Uthai arrived at the scene, near a bridge, on personal business. Uthai approached them and asked them to be calm but both foreigners turned to attack him.
The officer said Uthai was beaten to the ground by the couple. After managing to get up, Uthai pointed his service pistol to threaten away both foreigners, but del Pinto tried to snatch the pistol from him. After a scuffle, shots were fired and the couple went down.
Last night Graham Arscott, the father of Vanessa Arscott, 23, who was gunned down in Kanchanaburi with her boyfriend Adam Lloyd, 24, by Police Sgt-Major Wisetsingh said: "So sad. I feel so terribly sorry for this young man's family."
In the River Kwai case, Wisetsingh shot the couple dead in a fit of rage after being beaten to the ground by Lloyd, who it is believed thought the policeman was trying to hit on his girlfriend.
Like the Kanchanaburi case, the killing in the idyllic tourist village of Pai has the semblance of another police "loss of face" execution.
Andrew Drummond
Special to The Nation
SURVIVOR'S CLAIM
Cop 'executed my best friend'
Officer 'hit me, shot Leo twice, then fired at me' Published on January 8, 2008
A young Canadian woman told yesterday how a Thai policeman shot dead her best friend in Pai in the North, then shot another bullet into his heart as he lay on the ground.
Carly Reisig, 24, said the policeman had no grounds at all for the attack - and that after he shot fellow Canadian John Leo del Pinto, the officer turned his gun on her and shot her in the chest.
Speaking from her bed in hospital in Chiang Mai, Reisig, from Chilliwack, British Columbia, rejected a police statement that suggested Sgt-Major Uthai Dechawiwat, 37, had intervened to break up a fight and his gun had discharged in a struggle.
She pointed to her chest where the bullet was lodged close to her own heart.
"There never was a fight. That is not true," she said. "John was my ex-boyfriend, but still my best friend. We had nothing to argue about. We had been drinking in the Be-Bop Bar in Pai and were heading for a last drink at the Bamboo Bar near the bridge.
"We were walking together. My Thai boyfriend Fuen was walking slightly behind.
"A man came up to me on
the road near Pee Dang's Restaurant and hit me for no reason.
"My face was painted with face paint, for fun, but I don't know why he hit me. We had never met him before, never seen him before. We were unarmed and walking down the road after a good night out.
"He was dressed in plain clothes, a white T-shirt. Leo shouted at him, 'You can't hit her!' and pushed him away from us. Then the man went to his motorbike and got his gun, and Leo tried to get it away from him.
"They had a struggle for the gun, then the man got control of the gun and stepped back and shot Leo directly in the face.
"Leo fell to the ground and the man pointed the gun at his heart and fired a second shot. Then he turned around to me and aimed for my heart and shot me in the chest.
"I blacked out and when I came to I saw Leo lying dead on the road beside me. My lungs filled up with blood and I couldn't breathe.
"I went to Pai Hospital and then to a hospital in Chiang Mai. They had to put a tube into my lungs to drain the blood so that I could breathe again.
"I can't believe that my best friend is dead and I've got a bullet right beside my heart.
"I have never been married, I am not pregnant. Leo was my ex-boyfriend from Canada. He had arrived in Pai a few days before to see me."
Sitting by her bed was her boyfriend Rattaporn Vara-wadee, an artist nicknamed Fuen.
He said: "Nothing we did gave this man the right to take lives. We are angry now and we need help and a good lawyer. We are shocked to hear that the policeman is already out on bail."
Asked again if they had been fighting, she replied: "Not at all, he was my best friend." She had spoken to del Pinto's family and said: "They are not doing well."
Suchart Pantai, the owner of Be-Bop Bar, said he saw the couple and Fuen leave his bar at about 1am. "There was no fighting. But I heard from other sources that they were play-fighting as they walked."
Reisig has been in Thailand for a year, leaving occasionally on visa runs. She has worked in Canada with physically and mentally handicapped people.
John Leo del Pinto, also 24, from Calgary in Alberta in west Canada, was a former music student who earned a living as a promoter and concert organiser.
Uthai Dechawiwat has been charged with murder, manslaughter and attempted murder, but the version of events issued by police in Pai is at total variance with Miss Reisig's story.
Case investigator Pol Lt-Colonel Sombat Panya said the couple had been drinking in a local pub and had become involved in a drunken brawl after del Pinto, who recently arrived in Thailand, found that Reisig was pregnant to a Thai man known as Fuen.
The couple continued arguing after they left the pub when Uthai arrived at the scene, near a bridge, on personal business. Uthai approached them and asked them to be calm but both foreigners turned to attack him.
The officer said Uthai was beaten to the ground by the couple. After managing to get up, Uthai pointed his service pistol to threaten away both foreigners, but del Pinto tried to snatch the pistol from him. After a scuffle, shots were fired and the couple went down.
Last night Graham Arscott, the father of Vanessa Arscott, 23, who was gunned down in Kanchanaburi with her boyfriend Adam Lloyd, 24, by Police Sgt-Major Wisetsingh said: "So sad. I feel so terribly sorry for this young man's family."
In the River Kwai case, Wisetsingh shot the couple dead in a fit of rage after being beaten to the ground by Lloyd, who it is believed thought the policeman was trying to hit on his girlfriend.
Like the Kanchanaburi case, the killing in the idyllic tourist village of Pai has the semblance of another police "loss of face" execution.
Andrew Drummond
Special to The Nation
Always Borrow Money from a Pesimist. "They Never Expect it Back"
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DawnHRD
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I've been reading about this on a couple of forums. I don't think either account is 100% true, but I'm sure the truth is a damn sight closer to the girl's account than to the official one. 
"The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?" - Jeremy Bentham, philosopher, 1748-1832
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Terrible news. I've spent time in Pai in the past and know the places that they're talking about in the article - Be Bops, Bamboo Bar.
Agree with klister that it is a really laid back, peaceful town. It's normally full of travelers doing the Golden Triangle route and trekking. A number of years ago, I went up there for 2 weeks and didn't get back to HH for 3 months.
I really enjoyed it. Clean air, hills all around and a great mix of Thai, western, Muslim and hill tribe people. Never saw any hint of trouble there, but I suppose it can happen anywhere, any time.
Agree with klister that it is a really laid back, peaceful town. It's normally full of travelers doing the Golden Triangle route and trekking. A number of years ago, I went up there for 2 weeks and didn't get back to HH for 3 months.
I really enjoyed it. Clean air, hills all around and a great mix of Thai, western, Muslim and hill tribe people. Never saw any hint of trouble there, but I suppose it can happen anywhere, any time.
More conflicting stories on this subject
PAI SHOOTINGS ANALYSIS
Victim tells of earlier clash with police
Woman admits fight with another cop as tale of 'gun-blazer' emerges
Published on January 11, 2008
After the shooting of two young Canadians in Pai, locals are torn on the cause of the drama.
People are unsure whether to believe a 24-year-old Canadian woman, who some claim is a troublemaker, or a 37-year-old Thai police sergeant, with a reputation for drinking - and shooting his gun off.
Controversy is raging in Pai, in Canada, and on the Internet. The only established facts are that 24-year-old tourist John 'Leo' del Pinto is dead, after being shot in the head and chest.
His companion Carly Reisig, also 24, was also shot in the chest, but survived. She may be the only witness against Police Sergeant Uthai Dechawiwat, who has been charged with murder and manslaughter.
On Monday, Reisig, from British Columbia, was adamant police claims the sergeant shot in self-defence were untrue. The policeman had hit her without provocation, she said. Then, after del Pinto threw him to the ground, the officer, in plainclothes, got out his gun and deliberately fired into del Pinto's head, then his chest, before firing at her.
In Canada, del Pinto is regarded as a hero for going to Carly's aid. But yesterday she admitted she had been involved in heated rows in the past in Pai and had herself struck a Thai policeman.
Reisig said that two months before del Pinto arrived in Thailand from Calgary, she had intervened in a scuffle in a bar involving a tourist and a former Thai boyfriend called 'Nui'.
"The Israeli guy hit my Thai boyfriend and I tried to break it up ... the police came and took them outside and they circled around Nui and were pushing him, so ... I went in there and hit one of the cops. I was very drunk that night," she said.
On another occasion she said she was involved in a fight at a regular party at a nearby arts market called Pittalew with her current boyfriend Rattaporn Varawadee, nicknamed "Fuen".
Reisig, however, stuck to her claim Police Sgt Major Uthai was the one who struck the first blow at 2am last Sunday. "Leo and I were always messing around and play-fighting. We might have even been yelling at each other, play-fighting, but it didn't give anyone the right to shoot us. The guy who did this was crazy."
But Thai witnesses now insist it was Reisig, not the officer, who started the fight.
Kanasphuchit Sankam, owner of a karaoke bar, who was eating at the noodle shop, said: "I watched the couple come up, punching each other and yelling... It didn't look like they were pretending, it looked like a real fight ...
"I watched Uthai go over to try and stop the fight. He said 'Stop, I am police' and held out his hand in front of him, with his other hand ready to draw his gun. They pushed him over and he got his gun out.
"The girl started crying loudly and he told her to calm down and go and sit down. The policeman then started walking away from the scene, but the girl got up and hit him.
"Leo then joined her in hitting him and they all fell onto the ground. I couldn't see them anymore because of the parked cars, but I heard three shots go off. If the girl had not provoked him, it wouldn't have happened."
A similar story, in almost uncannily identical words, was told by the noodle shop owner. But the Thai witnesses deny seeing the actual shooting.
Meanwhile, an American known as Rob, said he believed Reisig's version of events "largely because the accused officer has a reputation for gunplay".
Rob told Canadian papers he attended a concert in Pai last year during which Uthai fired into the air several times.
"He was drunk. All the off-duty officers were drinking together. He fired his weapon into the air and everyone had to scatter. He has a reputation in town for pulling out his weapon," he said.
Police investigator Lt-Col Sombat Panya has already given a reason for the couple fighting. He said del Pinto, recently arrived in Thailand, found out Reisig was pregnant to her Thai boyfriend Fuen. Reisig, however, denies being pregnant.
Witnesses also say Uthai was earlier drunk in the BeBop Bar. Witnesses supporting the police version will give their names. Those supporting Reisig won't.
As in the case of British backpackers gunned down by a policeman in Kanchanaburi in 2004, it seems unlikely Reisig will be able to produce witnesses to prove her side of the story. The only uncontested evidence may be forensic, which is in the hands of local police.
But, Sgt Uthai, who claims his gun fired accidentally, may have to explain how three bullets hit vital targets so accurately.
Andrew Drummond,Cindy Tilney
Special to The Nation
Chiang Mai
PAI SHOOTINGS ANALYSIS
Victim tells of earlier clash with police
Woman admits fight with another cop as tale of 'gun-blazer' emerges
Published on January 11, 2008
After the shooting of two young Canadians in Pai, locals are torn on the cause of the drama.
People are unsure whether to believe a 24-year-old Canadian woman, who some claim is a troublemaker, or a 37-year-old Thai police sergeant, with a reputation for drinking - and shooting his gun off.
Controversy is raging in Pai, in Canada, and on the Internet. The only established facts are that 24-year-old tourist John 'Leo' del Pinto is dead, after being shot in the head and chest.
His companion Carly Reisig, also 24, was also shot in the chest, but survived. She may be the only witness against Police Sergeant Uthai Dechawiwat, who has been charged with murder and manslaughter.
On Monday, Reisig, from British Columbia, was adamant police claims the sergeant shot in self-defence were untrue. The policeman had hit her without provocation, she said. Then, after del Pinto threw him to the ground, the officer, in plainclothes, got out his gun and deliberately fired into del Pinto's head, then his chest, before firing at her.
In Canada, del Pinto is regarded as a hero for going to Carly's aid. But yesterday she admitted she had been involved in heated rows in the past in Pai and had herself struck a Thai policeman.
Reisig said that two months before del Pinto arrived in Thailand from Calgary, she had intervened in a scuffle in a bar involving a tourist and a former Thai boyfriend called 'Nui'.
"The Israeli guy hit my Thai boyfriend and I tried to break it up ... the police came and took them outside and they circled around Nui and were pushing him, so ... I went in there and hit one of the cops. I was very drunk that night," she said.
On another occasion she said she was involved in a fight at a regular party at a nearby arts market called Pittalew with her current boyfriend Rattaporn Varawadee, nicknamed "Fuen".
Reisig, however, stuck to her claim Police Sgt Major Uthai was the one who struck the first blow at 2am last Sunday. "Leo and I were always messing around and play-fighting. We might have even been yelling at each other, play-fighting, but it didn't give anyone the right to shoot us. The guy who did this was crazy."
But Thai witnesses now insist it was Reisig, not the officer, who started the fight.
Kanasphuchit Sankam, owner of a karaoke bar, who was eating at the noodle shop, said: "I watched the couple come up, punching each other and yelling... It didn't look like they were pretending, it looked like a real fight ...
"I watched Uthai go over to try and stop the fight. He said 'Stop, I am police' and held out his hand in front of him, with his other hand ready to draw his gun. They pushed him over and he got his gun out.
"The girl started crying loudly and he told her to calm down and go and sit down. The policeman then started walking away from the scene, but the girl got up and hit him.
"Leo then joined her in hitting him and they all fell onto the ground. I couldn't see them anymore because of the parked cars, but I heard three shots go off. If the girl had not provoked him, it wouldn't have happened."
A similar story, in almost uncannily identical words, was told by the noodle shop owner. But the Thai witnesses deny seeing the actual shooting.
Meanwhile, an American known as Rob, said he believed Reisig's version of events "largely because the accused officer has a reputation for gunplay".
Rob told Canadian papers he attended a concert in Pai last year during which Uthai fired into the air several times.
"He was drunk. All the off-duty officers were drinking together. He fired his weapon into the air and everyone had to scatter. He has a reputation in town for pulling out his weapon," he said.
Police investigator Lt-Col Sombat Panya has already given a reason for the couple fighting. He said del Pinto, recently arrived in Thailand, found out Reisig was pregnant to her Thai boyfriend Fuen. Reisig, however, denies being pregnant.
Witnesses also say Uthai was earlier drunk in the BeBop Bar. Witnesses supporting the police version will give their names. Those supporting Reisig won't.
As in the case of British backpackers gunned down by a policeman in Kanchanaburi in 2004, it seems unlikely Reisig will be able to produce witnesses to prove her side of the story. The only uncontested evidence may be forensic, which is in the hands of local police.
But, Sgt Uthai, who claims his gun fired accidentally, may have to explain how three bullets hit vital targets so accurately.
Andrew Drummond,Cindy Tilney
Special to The Nation
Chiang Mai
Always Borrow Money from a Pesimist. "They Never Expect it Back"
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