A teenage attacker opened fire inside a vocational high school in Siverek, in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa province, then killed himself with the same shotgun, local authorities said.
The attacker was identified as a former student at the school, born in 2007.
What do we know about the attack?
Governor Hasan Sildak said the Tuesday shooting left 16 people injured: 10 students, four teachers, a canteen employee and a police officer. Most of the wounded were treated in Siverek, while five students and teachers with more serious injuries were transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital.
The governor said the attacker “randomly opened fire in the corridor with a pump-action shotgun.”
Witness footage from inside the school showed students fleeing in panic, running through corridors and out onto the street. Videos also captured the attacker moving through the building while firing. One student told the state-run Anadolu Agency that he and a classmate escaped by jumping from a classroom window.
“He suddenly entered the classroom and fired. He didn’t say anything. He fired four or five times. Two people were hit. He then went into the next classroom,” the student said.
What is the situation now?
Authorities said the motive remains unclear and that the suspect had no prior criminal record, though media reports indicate he may have posted threats on social media before the attack. Police described the incident as isolated and said the school has been secured. Governor Sildak said a “comprehensive” investigation is underway.
School shootings are rare in Turkey, where gun laws are strict and penalties for illegal possession are severe.
Edited by: Rana Taha