Four people have died and 20 further injured after a student open fired at a school in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey on Wednesday, making it the country’s second school shooting this week.
Officials have said that one of the deceased was a teacher and three were students at Ayser Çalık Middle School. Treatment of others continues in hospitals. The shooter, said to be an 8th grade student, was found dead.
It comes after a gun attack at a high school in south-eastern Turkey on Tuesday left 16 people injured, after a teenage former pupil opened fire on campus before taking his own life.
A police officer said the suspect, believed to be aged around 17 or 18, entered Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the Siverek district armed with a shotgun and began firing at random.
Among those hurt were students, teachers and school staff, as well as a police officer who was reportedly at the scene.
Emergency responders arrived quickly, transporting the injured to hospital, with some requiring further treatment at other facilities.
Local governor Hasan Sildak confirmed in a statement that the suspect was a former student at the school and did not have a prior criminal record. The motive for the attack remains unclear, and investigators are now working to establish what led to the violence.
Eyewitnesses have described chaotic scenes as the attack unfolded.
One witness told IHA News: “He was a kid, about 17-18 years old. Suddenly, he walked through the front door (of the school yard). As soon as he entered, he pulled out a gun. It was a long, stocky one, like one of those pump-action shotguns with rims.
“He immediately started shooting left and right. Then he fired towards the school. Then he ran inside. He started shooting at anyone who came in front of him, and then with the students' screams, the teachers' screams, everyone immediately scattered.”
Students in classrooms had only moments to respond as the attack unfolded. One of those injured, Ömer Furkan Sayar, told TRT that the gunman entered multiple rooms, including his own.
“First we threw ourselves to the ground, then two of us jumped out of the window. He didn’t say anything to us, he just came in and started shooting,” he said.
The school was evacuated shortly after the incident, with police sealing off the area as investigations began.
Turkish police are now examining how the attacker was able to access the weapon and enter the premises, as well as reviewing security arrangements at the site.
Local officials have urged calm as inquiries continue, while support is being provided to those injured and affected by the attack.
Further updates are expected as investigators piece together a clearer picture of the events leading up to the shooting.
