A shooting at a middle school in the southern province of Maraş has resulted in casualties today, the city's governor announced. The incident marks the second school shooting in Turkey in two days.
Mükerrem Ünlüer, the governor, confirmed to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) that the attack took place at Ayser Çalık Middle School for reasons that remain unknown.
"There is an ongoing attack at the moment. A tragic incident occurred in one of our schools. We have received information that there are injured people. We are investigating the matter deeply," the governor was quoted as saying.
Fatalities confirmed
The governor later issued a separate statement aired live, confirming fatalities in the incident. He said three students and a teacher were killed and 20 others were wounded. Four of the wounded are in serious condition.
The perpetrator was identified as a 16-year-old former student of the school. He was carrying five firearms and seven magazines during the attack, the governor said.
The perpetrator's father was a former security officer, he said, adding, "We think he took his farther's weapons."
The father was later taken into custody. Media reports indicate that he will be questioned regarding how his son obtained the weapons and whether he trained his son to use firearms.
Footage circulating on social media showed people, including students, jumping off second and third floors of the school building to escape the assailant.
In the evening, Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi announced that fatalities rose to nine while six of the wounded were in intensive care:
"I am deeply saddened by this [attack]. Just as the morning shift students were about to leave, an 8th-grade student—who was still in school—opened fire indiscriminately with weapons he had brought from home, causing a big massacre at the school.
"As a result of this incident, we have lost 9 lives. Eight of them were students, and one was a teacher. There are 13 injured, 6 of whom are in intensive care. Three are in critical condition."
Broadcast ban
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that an investigation has been launched into the incident and a broadcast ban has been imposed. The ban covers images from the scene.
The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) also issued a statement regarding the incident, calling for strict adherence to the broadcasting principles outlined in Law No. 6112.
The statement emphasized that footage of the incident and traumatic content must under no circumstances be shared:
"Any information or visual material that could violate the privacy of the victims, students, and their families or reveal their identities must be avoided; interviews with the victims’ families or eyewitnesses must not be conducted, and no footage from the scene of the incident should be broadcast.
"To prevent the spread of misinformation, only statements from authorized authorities should be relied upon, and a measured tone should be used. Legal proceedings will be initiated without delay against any publications that disregard social sensitivities and the mental health of children."
Later, media reports said that an investigation was opened into social media accounts that shared footage from the incident despite the ban and identified 63 accounts.
Two shootings in two days
The incident follows a similar attack yesterday in Urfa. A 19-year-old former student opened fire at a high school, wounding 16 people. The assailant killed himself as police attempted to persuade him to surrender.
Turkey rarely experiences school shootings with multiple casualties. (VK)
