By: Karsyn Phillips

On April 14, a high school in southeastern Turkey became the site of a tragic shooting that left 16 people wounded. The attack, which took place at a vocational high school in Siverek, Sanliurfa province, was carried out by an 18-year-old former student who later took his own life.

The incident occurred on a Tuesday morning when the gunman, armed with a shotgun, entered the school and began firing randomly. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and terror, one student, Omer Furkan Sayar, told the state Anadolu Agency that the shooter entered his classroom without saying a word and immediately fired four or five times. To escape the gunfire, Sayar and a classmate were forced to jump out of a classroom window.

Governor Hasan Sildak confirmed that the victims included 10 students, four teachers, a canteen employee, and a responding police officer. While many were treated locally in Siverek, five victims whose conditions were more severe were transferred to a larger hospital.

Following the initial shooting, the gunman refused to surrender, prompting the deployment of police special operations units. Authorities eventually cornered the gunman inside the school building. According to Governor Sildak, the attacker died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being surrounded by law enforcement.

The 18-year-old attacker reportedly had no prior criminal record. While a clear motive has not yet been established, media reports indicated that the suspect had allegedly posted threats regarding the school on social media prior to the event.

Additionally on April 15, a 14-year-old had claimed 9 lives and wounded 13 others in another school shooting. Eight students and one teacher had died in the attack in the province of Kahramanmaras. 

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci commented on the relevance of this incident. “This was solely a personal attack carried out by one of our students, it is not a terror incident,” Ciftci said. 

Succeeding the attack, Kahramanmaras Gov. Mukerrem Unluer had reported that the 14-year-old shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to NBCnews.com, “An eighth grade student came with five weapons and seven 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.

In response to the violence, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the parliament, promising a deep investigation and stating that any officials found negligent in school security would be held accountable. Following the Siverek incident, four officials were suspended from duty, and the school was ordered closed for four days to allow for the investigation and to provide support for the traumatized students and staff. 

After the Kahramanmaras case, Ciftci had mentioned that they will be taking the necessary precautions, but without explaining it with minimal elaboration. Broadcaster NTV had said that the shooter’s father had been detained. Gun laws are generally strict in Turkey, with only individuals aged over 21 and in possession of a license allowed to own weapons.

School shootings are historically rare in Turkey, a country with strict gun control laws that require intensive background checks and licensing.