Deadly Attack at Secondary School in Southeastern Turkey
Nine deaths and thirteen injuries occurred after a mass shooting took place at Ayser Çalık Secondary School located in the province of Kahramanmaraş in southeastern Turkey, which was the second incident of this nature to occur within two days in the country.
According to the local police, the shootings took place on Wednesday afternoon inside the school premises where a teenage gunman opened fire on two classrooms. Out of the total casualties, eight students and one teacher died from gunshot wounds. It is yet to be determined whether the gunman shot himself or was killed by the police during the incident.
Teen Gunman Entered With Multiple Firearms
As mentioned in the early news report by the local officials, the suspect had come to the school armed with a few guns which he believed belonged to his father who was a former police official. As mentioned in the reports, he carried five guns and magazines in his bag during the incident.
It seemed like there was chaos in the school compound after the gunshot sounded in the entire campus area. According to the reports, there was an attempt by the students to flee the class due to shooting around them.
Second School Shooting in 48 Hours
This happened less than two days after an attack carried out by a former student at a school in Şanlıurfa, the neighboring province, who injured 16 individuals before shooting himself. The chain of incidents has sent alarm bells ringing throughout the country, as they are regarded as unusual events.
No connection has been found between the two independent incidents. The government asserts that investigations are being conducted independently into each incident.
Government Response and Investigation
A comprehensive investigation into the incident has been launched by the Turkish authorities. According to the Ministry of Interior, the suspect’s father has been detained by the police to clarify how the weapons were procured.
There have been increased security personnel at schools in the area. It is also noteworthy that the authorities have warned the media not to circulate graphic images.
Rising Concern Over School Safety
Such killings have created a sense of fear in regard to the security of schools and gun accessibility despite the strict laws governing the use of firearms in Turkey.
There are calls for immediate measures to be taken to prevent further loss of lives following the deaths of family members of the victims of these massacres, which have emerged among the most heart-breaking events at schools in the contemporary history of Turkey.
On the other hand, the investigation is going on to try to understand the reasons behind such happenings at intervals.
By David Loran Jr
A successful Editor-in-Chief, journalist for over 6 years, writing about important topics that are going on within the U.S. and beyond
Sources:
BBC News: Nine killed in second Turkish school shooting in two days
Featured Image Courtesy of Kenny Mitchell‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
