The Albany Gazette - Pupil kills nine, wounds 13 in new Turkey school shooting

Wednesday's attack unfolded in the Kahramanmaras province in the south of the country, where such mass shootings are usually rare.

"We regret to report nine deaths (...) and 13 wounded. Six of them are currently in intensive care, three of whom are in critical condition," Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said in a statement, upping the previous toll of four dead and 20 wounded.

"A student came to school with guns that we believe belonged to his father in his backpack. He entered two classrooms and opened fire randomly, causing injuries and deaths," Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer told reporters earlier in the day.

The attacker, an eighth‑grade student, was the son of a former police officer, Unluer said, adding that the suspect was carrying five guns and seven magazines. He died during the incident.

"We suspect he may have taken his father's weapons," the governor said.

"He shot himself. It is not yet clear whether this was suicide or happened amid the chaos," he said.

Police detained the ex-student's father, Ugur Mersinli, the official Anadolu news agency reported.

Footage released by IHA private news agency showed a person, body and face covered, being evacuated in an ambulance, as well as tearful parents who had rushed to the school in the southern province's main city, Kahramanmaras.

Another video, taken by a resident of a nearby building, verified by AFP, shows students jumping from a first-floor window of the school to escape the gunfire, while dozens of others flee through the courtyard.

About 15 gunshots can be heard in the one-and-a-half-minute video.

Police increased security around the building, and television footage showed ambulances in the area.

The incident prompted the interior and education ministers to travel to the city.

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors had launched an immediate investigation into the shooting.

-'Vulnerability'-

The shooting came a day after an ex-student opened fire with a shotgun at his former high school in Siverek district of Sanliurfa province, also in the centre of the country.

The gunman wounded 16 people before killing himself in a showdown with police. Ten students were among the casualties.

Speaking to the ruling AKP party in parliament, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that those found to have been negligent or at fault "will certainly be held accountable" over the school shootings.

Police detained one suspect after Tuesday's attack and suspended four officials from duty, Erdogan said. The school was ordered closed for four days.

Main opposition CHP leader Ozgur Ozel called for broader security measures.

"At this point, it is clearly evident that violence in schools can no longer be explained by isolated incidents," he wrote on X.

"This issue has turned into a growing and deepening security vulnerability," he said.

Measures such as ensuring full control at school entrances and exits, increasing the number of security personnel, strengthening camera systems, intensifying police patrols around schools, and keeping emergency crisis plans ready are now essential, he added.

"The security of schools is entrusted to our state. No negligence or deficiency in this regard can be excused anymore," Ozel said.

School shootings in Turkey had been rare until this week. In May 2024, a former student killed a private high school principal in Istanbul with a firearm five months after he was expelled.

Turkey has strict gun laws that require licensing, registration, mental and criminal background checks, and severe penalties for illegal possession.

(A.Thompson--TAG)