16 Injured in Turkish Secondary School Shooting as Teenage Gunman Takes Own Life
A 19-year-old launched a gun attack at a secondary school in the south-eastern Turkish province of Sanliurfa this Tuesday. According to Governor Hasan Sildak, the terrifying incident left at least 16 individuals injured before the teenage gunman took his own life, Reuters reports.
The perpetrator was identified as a former pupil who returned to the campus in the Siverek district armed with a shotgun. Casualties were quickly transported to a local hospital for medical attention and five of those injured were subsequently moved to facilities in the city centre of Sanliurfa for further treatment.
Speaking to the NTV news channel, the governor explained that the youth began firing randomly in the playground before making his way inside the main building. As law enforcement officers closed in to make an arrest, the assailant turned the weapon on himself to avoid capture.
Sildak confirmed that the teenager had no known criminal history and noted that local police had previously categorised the educational establishment as a safe environment.
Official figures from the Interior Ministry reveal that the victims include ten pupils, four members of teaching staff, a police officer and a worker from the school canteen. The current medical status of the wounded remains undisclosed at this time.
Video clips circulating from the scene show terrified students running from the premises as a heavy presence of ambulances and police vehicles descended upon the area.
