A school shooting rampage in southeastern Turkey has left at least 16 people injured after a former student opened fire with a shotgun.
Special security forces were deployed to the Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the Siverek district of Sanliurfa province following the brutal attack on Tuesday.
Governor Hasan Sildak told local media that the gunman, 19, took his own life with his weapon when police attempted to capture him.
‘He took his own life when cornered by police,’ the governor said. ‘We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident,’ he added.
Sildak said the attacker was a former student of the school and entered the school grounds before he began firing randomly. The assailant had attended the school for one year in the ninth grade, the governor added.
He also confirmed that the attacker had no prior criminal record and that the school had previously been classified as safe by police.
Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school in the Siverek district as students fled the building in panic.
Following the incident, the wounded students and teachers were rushed to the hospital, with five later transferred to facilities in Sanliurfa city centre for further treatment, Sildak said.
One of the injured students, Ömer Furkan Sayar, told TRT, Turkey’s state broadcaster, that the gunman went into 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,’ he said.
A witness to the incident told local news outlet Turkiye Today that the suspect entered the high school yard with a long-barreled weapon before opening fire.
‘He first opened fire in the yard and then directly at the school,’ the witness said.
Another eyewitness told local media he saw a young man around 17 or 18 years old.
‘As soon as he entered through the front door, he started shooting with the long-barreled gun he was carrying,’ he said.
‘He first shot left and right, then into the school. Then he ran inside the school. Inside, he shot directly at anyone he came across.
‘Then the students screamed, and everyone ran away’.
A statement released by the Ministry of Interior said: ‘This morning, at Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School located in the Siverek district of Şanlıurfa province, a gun attack was carried out by Ö.K., identified as a 2007-born former student of the school.
‘According to initial assessments, 10 students, 4 teachers, 1 police officer, and 1 cafeteria operator citizen were injured in the attack, and the injured have been taken to Siverek State Hospital for treatment.
‘The individual who carried out the attack with a shotgun committed suicide with the same weapon following the incident.
‘A comprehensive investigation has been launched by our security units regarding the incident, and developments will be shared with the public.
‘We wish a speedy recovery to our injured citizens. Respectfully announced to the public’.
While the majority of the injured are students, according to reports in Turkey, a teacher is among the wounded and is in a serious condition, NTV television reported.
According to NTV Sanliurfa correspondent Kadir Celikcan, the suspect had been seen previously getting into an argument with a student and returned with a weapon.
Local reports earlier claimed that the gunman took some of the students hostage after entering the school.
Other reports have claimed that some students were seen jumping from the building’s windows in an attempt to escape the attack.
The motive remains unclear. The authorities were investigating the incident, the Interior Ministry said.
Such shootings are rare in Turkey.
