ANKARA, April 15 - A 14-year-old student opened fire at a middle school in the southeastern Turkish province of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring 13 others, officials said.
Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci told reporters that eight pupils and one teacher were among those killed, and that six of the wounded were in critical condition. "This was solely a personal attack carried out by one of our students, it is not a terror incident," Ciftci said.
Earlier, Kahramanmaras Governor Mukerrem Unluer said the shooter had shot and killed himself in the commotion. The governor said an eighth-grade student arrived at the school with five weapons and seven magazines in his bag - items that authorities believe belonged to his former police officer father - and entered two classrooms with fifth-grade students, inflicting deaths and injuries indiscriminately.
Fifth-grade pupils in Turkey are generally aged 10 and 11. Broadcaster NTV reported that the shooter’s father had been detained.
Scene and immediate aftermath
Unverified footage circulating from the school showed several students jumping from a second-storey window as gunfire could be heard across the grounds. Separate unverified CCTV images appeared to show the attacker shooting two students walking down a hallway.
Turkish media footage from the scene on Wednesday captured ambulances arriving while police and crowds gathered by the school gate.
Authorities and legal context
Ciftci was asked by reporters whether authorities would introduce measures after this week's shootings; he responded, "We will take necessary precautions," but did not provide further details.
Turkey has strict gun laws on paper, permitting firearm ownership to those aged over 21 who hold a license. However, guns are widespread in the country, and many security officers are permitted to carry and own arms - a point noted by officials and media reporting on the incident.
Related incident
The Kahramanmaras shooting was the second school shooting in Turkey in two days. On Tuesday, a former student opened fire at a school in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, wounding at least 16 people, including students and teachers, before killing himself.
School shootings are very rare in Turkey, and officials are continuing to investigate the circumstances of both incidents as they determine next steps.