A tragic incident unfolded at a middle school in Turkey as a student opened fire in two classrooms on Wednesday, resulting in the death of nine individuals and injuries to 13 others, according to the country’s interior minister. The 14-year-old assailant, armed with firearms believed to belong to his father, a retired police officer, was fatally shot. The teen was found with five guns and seven magazines.
The motive behind the attack remains unknown, and it is unclear whether the gunman was killed by law enforcement or took his own life. Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci reported that six of the 13 wounded individuals were in critical condition. The casualties included at least three students and a teacher, as initially reported when the death toll was believed to be five.
This tragic event occurred just a day after a former student wounded 16 people, mostly students, in a high school shooting in the nearby Sanliurfa province before taking his own life. While school shootings have historically been uncommon in Turkey, incidents involving firearms in educational settings have seen a rise in the past decade.
Following reports of gunfire at the school in Kahramanmaras’s Onikisubat district, authorities swiftly dispatched police and ambulances to the scene. Images showed individuals being transported to ambulances, with concerned parents rushing to the school upon hearing of the armed attack. Security measures were promptly implemented by the police to ensure the safety of the school premises.
