School Sho*ting Leaves Teacher, 3 Students De*d and 20 Others Injured, Suspect Believed to Be 8th Grader

In the Turkey school shooting, the suspected shooter is believed to have obtained the weapons from his father, a former police officer

Authorities in Turkey are responding to a tragic incident at a school that left several people dead and many others injured. Emergency services arrived quickly as the situation unfolded.

The incident happened on Wednesday, April 15, at Ayser Çalık Middle School located in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, according to Turkish Radio and Television (TRT), CNN Turk and Milliyet, which cited authorities.

First responders and police teams were dispatched to the school after receiving a call following reports of gunfire in front of the school, Milliyet reported. According to initial reports, a suspect allegedly fired his gun into the air of the schoolyard before moving into the school.

Kahramanmaraş Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer announced in a press conference that the attacker was identified as an eighth grade student at Ayser Çalık Middle School, and he entered the school carrying weapons —five guns and seven magazines — in his backpack, per CNN Turk and Milliyet.

Ünlüer said when the student entered the school, he went into two classrooms and fired his weapons indiscriminately, per the outlets.

The governor said four people had died in the attack — including three students and one teacher. Twenty others were injured, including four who were in critical condition and undergoing surgery.

The Kahramanmaraş governor said that the suspect in the shooting was also killed in the incident. He also noted that the eighth grader was the son of a former police officer, and it is suspected that he took his father’s weapons, CNN Turk and Milliyet reported.

Following the attack, Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, National Education Minister Yusuf Tekin and Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said that they would visit the Kahramanmaraş region.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that four civil administration chief inspectors and four police chief inspectors have been dispatched to investigate the incident.

“… Our colleagues are currently continuing their investigations,” said Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor Ramazan Murat Tiryaki in a translated statement, per TRT. “

“We are examining it from all angles. We have 20 injured. Currently, only the perpetrator’s body is at the school. Our forensic experts are arriving. Our colleagues are handling the matter,” he added.

The incident comes one day after another school shooting in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. The shooter— identified as Ömer Ket — injured 16 people at Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School before turning the gun on himself, according to local news outlet Hurriyet.