A former student armed with a shotgun opened fire at a high school in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday morning, injuring at least 16 people before turning the weapon on himself, authorities said.
The attack occurred around 9:30 a.m. local time at the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Siverek district. The assailant, described as being in his late teens, entered the school grounds and began firing indiscriminately.
Governor Hasan Şildak reported that the wounded included 10 students, four teachers, a cafeteria worker, and a police officer. All were transported to hospitals, with five requiring transfer to other facilities for specialized care. The school was evacuated following the incident.
"He was a kid, about 17-18 years old. Suddenly, he walked through the front door. As soon as he entered, he pulled out a gun. It was a long, stocky one, like one of those pump-action shotguns," one witness told IHA News. "He immediately started shooting left and right. Then he fired towards the school. He started shooting at anyone who came in front of him."
Student Ömer Furkan Sayar described the terrifying moments when the gunman entered his classroom. "First we threw ourselves to the ground, then two of us jumped out of the window," he told TRT, Turkey's state broadcaster. "He didn't say anything to us, he just came in and started shooting."
Governor Şildak noted that the attacker had no prior criminal record and that the school had been considered secure by local police. An investigation into the shooting has been launched to determine the motive and circumstances surrounding the attack.
The incident has raised concerns about school safety in the region, coming just days after another shooting at the Israeli consulate in Istanbul left one gunman dead and two injured.