A 14-year-old boy has died after allegedly killing at least nine people and wounding 13 others at a Turkish high school on Wednesday, according to media and official reports.
According to regional governor Mukerrem Unluer, the boy is believed to have carried out the violent attack, the second of its kind in as many days in Turkey, with weapons provided by his father, a former police officer.
“A student came to school with weapons that we believe belonged to his father in his backpack. He entered two classrooms and opened fire indiscriminately, causing injuries and deaths,” Unluer told reporters at the scene, according to multiple media reports.
Eight of the deaths were students, while the other was a teacher, Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci told reporters, according to Reuters.
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Paramedics provide medical aid to an injured student after a deadly school shooting in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on April 15, 2026. (Ihlas News Agency/Reuters)
Ciftci was also convinced that this was a “single incident” and not a terrorist attack.
The shooting took place at Ayser Çalık High School in Turkey’s Kahramanmaras region, about 220 kilometers west of the high school where another student committed suicide after wounding 16 others in a shooting a day earlier.
Shooting deaths are rare in Turkey, at just over 2.6 per 100,000 residents per year, compared to 14.5 in the US. Applicants must be at least 21 years old and pass a rigorous medical clearance and background check process.
However, acquiring firearms is significantly more convenient for professionals in certain careers, such as law enforcement.
People wait in front of the school building after a deadly shooting, in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, April 15, 2026. (Reuters/IHA (Ihlas News Agency))
Despite the difficulties, Turkey is now rocked by two mass shootings in two days. In response, the government has urged citizens not to spread misinformation and protect peace.
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An injured person is carried to an ambulance after a school shooting in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on April 15, 2026. (IHA/Ihlas News Agency via Reuters)
“Managing the process with common sense, protecting societal peace and, above all, ensuring the psychological safety of our children are of paramount importance,” the country’s Ministry of Communications also wrote on X.
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“It is essential for our media organizations to act with the utmost sense of responsibility in their broadcasting policies,” the post continued, adding that “such incidents create a very fertile ground for disinformation.”
Four chief inspectors and four inspectors general have been charged with investigating the incident, the Turkish Interior Ministry said wrote on X.
