Student kills nine in Turkiye's second school shooting in two days
People wait in front of the school building after a deadly shooting, in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, April 15, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Photo: Ihlas News Agency via Reuters
A 14-year-old student shot at least nine people dead , including eight of his fellow pupils, and wounded 13 others at a middle school in southeastern Turkiye on Wednesday, officials said, in the country's second school shooting in two days.
Eight students and one teacher died in the attack in the province of Kahramanmaras, Turkey's Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci told reporters, adding that six of the wounded were in critical condition.
"This was solely a personal attack carried out by one of our students; it is not a terror incident," Ciftci said.
Read: School shooting in Turkiye leaves 16 wounded, governor says
Earlier, Kahramanmaras Governor Mukerrem Unluer had said the shooter had shot and killed himself in the commotion.
"An eighth-grade student came with 5 weapons and 7 magazines - which we believe belong to his former police officer father - in his bag, entered two classrooms with fifth grade students, causing deaths and injuries indiscriminately," Unluer said.
Kahramanmaraş'ta meydana gelen silahlı saldırı ile ilgili basın açıklamamız.
📍Kahramanmaraş #CanlıYayın
📡🎥
https://t.co/xhyEMCRVbfFifth-grade students are usually aged 10 and 11 in Turkey.
School shootings are very rare in Turkey. Asked by reporters if authorities would take any measures after the shootings this week, Ciftci said: "We will take necessary precautions", without elaborating.
Broadcaster NTV said the shooter's father had been detained.
❗️ Gunman opens fire at school in Turkey's Kahramanmaras — fatalities reported
This is the second school shooting in Turkey within two days
Yesterday, a student attacked a high school, wounding 17 people pic.twitter.com/ImgienCgXfGun laws are generally strict in Turkey, with only individuals aged over 21 and in possession of a license allowed to own weapons. However, guns are widespread in Turkey, with many security officers allowed to carry and own arms.
Unverified footage showed several students jumping from a second-storey window at the school as gunshots echoed around the grounds. Unverified CCTV footage from the school showed the attacker shooting two students walking down a hallway.
Turkish media footage from the school grounds on Wednesday showed ambulances arriving at the school where police and crowds had gathered by the gate.
School shootings in Turkiye had been rare until this week. In May 2024, a former student killed a private high school principal in Istanbul with a firearm five months after he was expelled.
On Tuesday, a former student opened fire at a school in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, wounding at least 16 people, including students and teachers, before killing himself.
Turkiye has strict gun laws that require licensing, registration, mental and criminal background checks, and severe penalties for illegal possession.