At Least Four People Were Killed And 20 Others Injured After A Student Opened Fire

At least four people were killed and 20 others injured after a student opened fire at a middle school in southeastern Turkey, according to local authorities. The attack marks the second school shooting in the country within 24 hours, raising alarm over student safety and access to firearms. The shooting occurred at a middle school in the Onikişubat district of Kahramanmaraş province. The assailant, identified as a student at the school, reportedly brought multiple firearms hidden in a backpack and began shooting on school grounds before entering classrooms and firing indiscriminately.

Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer confirmed that four people including a teacher were killed, while 20 others sustained injuries, several of them critically. Authorities said the weapons used in the attack belonged to the suspect’s father, a former police officer. The attacker also died during the incident, though officials have not fully clarified the exact circumstances of his death.

Security forces and medical teams quickly arrived at the scene, transporting the wounded to nearby hospitals. Government officials, including ministers responsible for interior, education, and health, were dispatched to the region as part of an ongoing response and investigation. A full inquiry has been launched, with forensic teams and inspectors examining how the student obtained the weapons and carried out the attack The tragedy came just one day after a separate school shooting in the Siverek district of Şanlıurfa province. In that incident, a 19-year-old former student opened fire at a high school, injuring at least 16 people before taking his own life.

Officials have described both as isolated and not linked to terrorism, but the back-to-back attacks are highly unusual in Turkey, where school shootings are relatively rare. The incidents have sparked nationwide concern over school security and firearm access, particularly regarding weapons kept in private homes. Authorities are continuing investigations into motives in both cases, which remain unclear. Parents and local residents gathered outside the affected school in Kahramanmaraş, many searching for information about their children as emergency services worked through the aftermath.