Turkey in Second School Shooting in 2 Days (4 Dead)
Turkey in Second School Shooting in 2 Days (4 Dead)
Nuray Lydia Oglu, Noriko Watanabe, and Kanako Mita
Modern Tokyo Times
Shock has gripped Turkey after two school shootings in the space of just two days — an almost unthinkable rupture in a nation where such acts are exceedingly rare. The mood is one of disbelief and quiet dread, as communities struggle to comprehend how such violence has pierced the fabric of daily life.
In the latest attack, at least four people have been killed at Ayser Çalık Secondary School in Kahramanmaraş. Details remain fragmentary, but the scale of the tragedy is already clear.
Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer confirmed that at least 20 individuals were wounded, some critically, underscoring the severity of the assault.
He further revealed the chilling sequence of events: “A student came to school with guns that we believe belonged to his father in his backpack. He entered two classrooms and opened fire randomly, causing injuries and deaths.”
The governor added that the attacker ultimately turned the weapon on himself and died from his injuries — bringing a violent end to a rampage that has left families shattered.
Reporting by Agence France-Presse deepens the sense of alarm: “The attacker, an eighth-grade student, was the son of a former police officer, Unluer said, adding that the suspect was carrying five guns and seven magazines.”
Meanwhile, NTV captured the chaos unfolding outside the school: “The sound of gunfire was very intense” and this led to “panic in front of the school”
This tragedy follows swiftly on the heels of another shooting just a day earlier, reported by the BBC:
“It comes a day after 16 people were injured after an ex-student opened fire at another high school, also in the south of the country, before killing himself.”
That earlier attack took place at Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in the district of Siverek. Governor Hasan Şıldak described how the assailant acted with indiscriminate violence by utilizing his shotgun to unleash terror.
He added that the attacker ended his own life after being “cornered by police.”
Disturbingly, local media reports suggest that the teenage perpetrator had issued warnings of the attack on social media beforehand — raising troubling questions about missed signals and prevention.
In the aftermath of these twin tragedies, Turkey’s Justice Ministry has imposed a broadcast ban for “the sake of the integrity of the investigation,” reflecting both the sensitivity of the moment and the urgency of understanding how such rare but devastating acts could unfold in such rapid succession.
Across the country, grief now mingles with confusion—and a pressing need for answers.
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