A former student opened fire with a shotgun at a high school in the Siverek district of southeastern Turkey on Tuesday, injuring at least 16 people before killing himself, according to reports from the BBC and BioBioChile.
The attacker, a teenager born in 2007, entered the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School around 09:30 local time. Local governor Hasan Şildak stated the assailant fired indiscriminately with a shotgun before turning the weapon on himself.
The casualties include 10 students, four teachers, a cafeteria worker, and a police officer, according to the Turkish Ministry of Interior. One teacher remains in critical condition, Şildak told reporters at the scene.
Chaos inside the school
Witnesses described a scene of sudden violence. 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."
The witness continued, "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 inside the building attempted to escape the gunfire. Ömer Furkan Sayar, an injured student, told TRT that the gunman entered at least two classrooms, 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," Sayar said.
Security forces evacuated the school and cornered the attacker inside the building. According to Şildak, authorities attempted to convince the young man to surrender, but he refused. "The attacker... did not surrender," Şildak said, adding that the gunman eventually shot himself with the same weapon.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack. Şildak noted that the attacker had no prior criminal record and that the school had been considered safe by police. The incident has caused significant shock in Turkey, where school shootings are considered rare.
