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A tragic incident unfolded at a Turkish middle school on Wednesday, where a 14-year-old boy allegedly killed at least nine individuals and injured 13 others, as reported by media outlets and officials.
The young suspect is believed to have executed the attack using firearms owned by his father, a former police officer, according to statements from Regional Governor Mukerrem Unluer. This marks the second such incident to occur in Turkey within just two days.
Governor Unluer informed reporters that the student arrived at the school with the weapons concealed in his backpack. “He entered two classrooms and began firing indiscriminately, resulting in multiple casualties and injuries,” Unluer stated, according to various media sources.
Among the victims were eight students and one teacher, as confirmed by Turkey’s Interior Minister, Mustafa Ciftci, during a press briefing covered by Reuters.
In the aftermath, paramedics rushed to provide medical care to injured students following the harrowing school shooting that took place in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on April 15, 2026. (Image courtesy of Ihlas News Agency/Reuters)
Ciftci was also adamant that this was a “sole incident” and not a terror attack.
The shooting took place at Ayser Çalık Middle School in Turkey’s Kahramanmaras region, roughly 140 miles west of the high school where another student killed himself after injuring 16 others in a shooting one day earlier.
Shooting deaths are rare in Turkey, with just over 2.6 per 100,000 residents every year, compared to the U.S.’s 14.5. Gun applicants must be at least 21 years old and go through a rigorous medical clearance and background check process.
Gun acquisition is, however, considerably more expedient for professionals with certain careers, such as law enforcement.
People wait in front of a school building after a deadly shooting in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, April 15, 2026. (Reuters/IHA (Ihlas News Agency))
Despite the difficulties, Turkey has now been rocked by two mass shootings in two days. In response, the government has urged citizens not to spread misinformation and to protect the peace.
An injured person is carried to an ambulance after a school shooting in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, April 15, 2026. (IHA/Ihlas News Agency via Reuters)
“Managing the process with sound judgment, protecting societal peace, and particularly ensuring the psychological security of our children are of utmost importance,” the country’s Ministry of Communications also posted on X.
“It is essential for our media organizations to act with the utmost sense of responsibility in their broadcasting policies,” the post continued, adding that “such incidents create a highly fertile ground for disinformation.”
Four chief inspectors and four inspector generals have been assigned to an investigation into the incident, the Turkish Ministry of the Interior wrote on X.
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