Police say a former Thai MP shot and killed a senior local official on Monday before calling a YouTuber to confess to the shooting during a livestream.

Chalong Reawraeng, a former veteran politician, is accused of shooting Thongchai Yenprasert, president of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation, outside a government building at 11am on Monday morning.

Thongchai died at hospital while receiving treatment for gunshot wounds to the face and neck. His driver, who was also shot in the arm, is in stable condition after undergoing surgery.

The incident in Nonthaburi came just days after a major school shooting in the same province, in which a 14-year-old boy killed his grandparents and six others before shooting himself.

Mr Chalong served as an MP for three terms, most recently under the Pheu Thai party. Moments after Monday’s attack, he called YouTuber Anchalee Paireerak and confessed to what he had done, according to police and a recording of the conversation.

He was arrested shortly after, and presented before the media at the police station. There, he again admitted to the shooting, claiming he was “angry” at Thongchai and calling him a “good friend”.

"I wanted to apologise to the people of Nonthaburi," he said. "I had no intention. We were friends and I thought we could talk it out, but he wouldn't talk to me."

He said he had come to talk to Thongchai as he wanted to retrieve money he had lent him. He said he followed Thongchai to his car before drawing a gun.

"He [Thongchai] then pushed me, saying 'I don't want to talk, I don't want to talk.'"

He said he did not intend to shoot Thongchai, but the driver also drew a gun and pointed at him, prompting him to open fire.

"When I pulled the gun out, I didn't intend to shoot him. But then [Thongchai's driver] pulled his gun out and pointed it at me, so I fired."

Regional police commander Wattana Yeejeen said the suspect had admitted to the shooting and that the motive was personal.

Mr Chalong’s conversation with YouTuber and political commentator Anchalee played out dramatically on her YouTube channel, though his side of the conversation largely could not be heard.

“Please wait… It’s Brother Chalong Reawraeng,” Anchalee said as she answered a call on her mobile phone. Chalong cannot be heard during the first part of the conversation.

“Brother Chalong Reawraeng, wait up - I’ll call you back, I’m on air,” Anchalee said. “What’s the big story? What? What did you say? Why did you shoot him? And where are you? You shot him just now? And did he die? Did he die? You shot him in the head?

“Now where are you going? You need to wait there for the cops. Don’t go anywhere.”

Anchalee’s team eventually put Mr Chalong on loudspeaker, and he can be heard saying that Thongchai owed him money for a favour.

“Just calm down, sit down and we can talk,” Anchalee said.

Later, Mr Chalong was heard saying: “The cops are here.”

“You’re with the cops now. Put your gun down and don’t shoot anyone else, okay?” Anchalee replied.

“Yes, I gave it to them,” Mr Chalong said.

Thongchai was appointed chief of the provincial body in 2004. He was a former police officer who joined the forces in 1984 and served as the deputy superintendent. He also served as a superintendent of several district police stations in Nonthaburi, a district on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Nonthaburi was still reeling on Monday after a 14-year-old student killed at least eight people in a shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School and his home on Friday, before taking his own life.

A 12-year-old schoolgirl and five school staff were killed at the school, while the boy also killed his two grandparents at his family home earlier in the morning, officials said.

The incidents have set off a debate over gun control laws in Thailand, which has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Asia, second only to Pakistan and far surpassing its Southeast Asian neighbours.

Following Friday’s shooting, Thai premier Anutin Charnvirakul ordered tougher enforcement against people carrying guns in public and said police would set up checkpoints as part of a crackdown, which would include tightening controls on the possession, carrying and use of firearms.

"No one has the right to carry a firearm, especially in a public place," Mr Anutin told reporters, adding that claiming a weapon was for self-defence was no justification.

Under government rules, people in Thailand are required to obtain separate licences for owning and carrying firearms, and there are tough punishments in place for violators.

Nonetheless, the country also has one of the highest rates for mass shootings in Asia, with recent incidents including schools, a major Bangkok mall and a 2022 killing spree in the country's northeast that killed 36 people, including 22 children