Turkey Middle School Shooting: Student Kills 9 in Second Attack This Week

A student opened fire in two classrooms at a middle school in southern Turkey on Wednesday, killing nine people and wounding 13 others, authorities said, in the country's second school shooting in two days.

The attacker, a 14-year-old student, was found dead after the attack, though it was not immediately clear whether he was killed by police or died by suicide. Kahramanmaras provincial Gov. Mukerrem Unluer said the boy arrived at the school armed with weapons believed to belong to his father, a retired police officer. He was carrying five firearms and seven magazines.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said six of the wounded were in serious condition. The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

The shooting took place in the Onikisubat district of Kahramanmaras, where parents rushed to the school after reports of gunfire, according to NTV television.

The attack came a day after a former student opened fire at a high school in neighboring Sanliurfa province, wounding 16 people, most of them students. That assailant later killed himself, authorities said.

School shootings have been rare in Turkey until this week.

State-run broadcaster TRT identified the middle school shooter as Isa Aras Mersinli and reported that his father was detained for questioning.

Turkish authorities imposed a ban on the broadcast of what they described as "traumatic" images from the scene, instructing media outlets to limit coverage to official statements.

This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 8:23 AM.