An extensive cross-agency manhunt is underway across the rural hinterlands northeast of Turkey’s Afyonkarahisar city, following a string of coordinated shootings that claimed eight lives and left one individual in critical condition on Thursday. Local law enforcement confirmed that victims were discovered scattered across multiple sites, situated inside three distinct vehicles across different parts of Afyonkarahisar province. Turkish national media has released verified CCTV footage capturing the suspected perpetrator: a male individual wearing a black jacket, white trousers and eyeglasses, holding a long-barrelled firearm while standing adjacent to a red minivan. State-run news outlet Anadolu Agency corroborated casualty breakdowns: three fatalities were recorded near Ayazini village, with three more killed in the vicinity of Kiyir village, while two women found wounded in the Yukaritandir locality later succumbed to their injuries after being transported to a local medical facility. Multiple local reports indicate two primary school teachers are counted among the deceased. Police have imposed full road closures on all access routes leading to the affected rural villages, deploying hundreds of officers, drone units and canine teams as part of a sweeping operation to track down the suspect, who fled the scene immediately after the attacks. Leading national daily Milliyet further reported that the getaway vehicle allegedly stolen by the attacker was later discovered trapped in deep mud on a remote rural track, prompting the suspect to abandon the vehicle and continue his escape on foot. The Afyonkarahisar Governorate released an official statement on social media platforms, noting that every relevant state institution has operated in full coordinated alignment from the moment the first emergency alert was received, carrying out all required investigative and public safety operations with rigorous attention to detail. The statement also extended official condolences, reading: “We pray to God to grant mercy to our deceased citizens, and we offer our deepest sympathies and wish for patience for their grieving families and loved ones.” As of press time, no motive for the shooting spree has been publicly disclosed, and the manhunt remains active across the province’s remote, forested rural zones.