A wave of panic swept through the Turgutlu district of western Turkiye on Tuesday morning after a gunman opened fire near a vocational and technical high school, leaving at least eleven people wounded. Local authorities confirmed that several victims were rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent treatment, with Justice Minister Akin Gurlek noting that two individuals remain in critical condition. Police acted quickly to secure the area and arrest the suspect, whom news reports identify as a student at the institution.
The investigation has already expanded beyond the shooter to include family members. According to Minister Gurlek, both the suspect’s parents and their grandfather have been detained, as the weapon used in the attack reportedly belonged to the grandfather. While a definitive motive has not yet been established, prosecutors are looking into claims that the student had been subjected to bullying at the school prior to the incident. The minister emphasized on social media that there would be no tolerance for negligence regarding how a child gained access to a firearm.
Footage circulating online captures a harrowing scene, showing a man carrying a rifle while walking along a street adjacent to the campus before fleeing back in the opposite direction. Other videos show officers struggling to hold back crowds of frantic parents and onlookers who gathered outside the school gates during the chaos. Two chief prosecutors have been assigned to lead a comprehensive probe into the event and its immediate causes.
This latest violence marks another grim chapter for Turkey, which historically saw very few school shootings until recently. This incident follows two devastating mass shootings in April within provinces like Sanliurfa and Kahramanmaras that left dozens wounded and many dead. Those earlier tragedies sparked national outrage and forced government officials to propose stricter gun control laws and enhanced security protocols intended for implementation in future academic years.
