A violent shooting incident at a vocational high school in Turkey’s southeastern province of Sanliurfa left 16 people injured on Tuesday, before the 18-year-old assailant took his own life, according to local governor Hasan Sildak.
The attacker, identified as a former student of the school in Siverek district, entered the campus carrying a shotgun and opened fire indiscriminately on people inside the building before barricading himself in an undisclosed area of the facility. Among the injured, 10 are current students, four are instructors, one is a canteen staff member, and one is an on-duty police officer. Most of the wounded received immediate medical care at local hospitals in Siverek, but five patients with more severe injuries were transferred to a larger, better-equipped medical center in Sanliurfa’s provincial capital for advanced treatment.
Initial local media reports indicated that all unharmed students were rapidly evacuated from the campus after emergency responders arrived. Specialized police operations units were dispatched to the site after the shooter refused to comply with orders to surrender. Law enforcement officers ultimately cornered the attacker within the building, and he ultimately used his shotgun to end his own life before authorities could apprehend him.
Circulating footage captured by witnesses shows dozens of terrified students fleeing the school grounds, rushing out the main gate and onto adjacent public streets as the emergency response unfolded.
Governor Sildak confirmed that officials have launched a comprehensive investigation to unpack the circumstances and motive behind the attack. Notably, school shootings are an extremely rare occurrence in Turkey, and as of Tuesday evening, investigators had not yet established a clear reason for the assailant’s actions.