A teenage student carried out a shooting at a middle school in Turkey, resulting in the death of nine individuals and injuring 13 others, as confirmed by the country’s interior minister. The 14-year-old perpetrator, wielding firearms believed to be owned by his retired police officer father, was fatally shot. Reports from Kahramanmaras provincial Governor Mukerrem Unluer indicated that the teen was armed 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 mentioned that six of the 13 wounded individuals were in critical condition.
Notably, among the casualties were three students and a teacher, with initial reports indicating five fatalities. This incident occurred a day after a former student opened fire at a high school in the nearby Sanliurfa province, injuring 16 individuals, primarily students, before committing suicide.
While school shootings have been uncommon in Turkey historically, there has been a gradual increase in incidents involving firearms at educational institutions over the past decade.
Following the sound of gunfire at the school in Kahramanmaras’s Onikisubat district, authorities swiftly dispatched police and ambulances to the scene. Images captured from the location depicted individuals being transported into ambulances. Concerned parents hurried to the school upon learning of the armed attack, with police implementing security measures in the vicinity.
Watch the video below for more information on the tragic event.