ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A student opened fire randomly at two classrooms at a middle school in southeast Turkey on Wednesday, killing four people and wounding 20 others, an official said, in the second such shooting in the country in two days.
The student, who was also killed, arrived at the school, armed with guns believed to belong to his father, a retired police officer, Kahramanmaras provincial Gov. Mukerrem Unluer said. The gunman was carrying five firearms and seven magazines.
The victims included a teacher and three students, Unluer said. At least four of the wounded were in serious condition. The motive of the attack wasn’t immediately known.
The attack came just a day after 16 people, mostly students, were wounded when a former student opened fire at a high school in nearby Sanliurfa province. The assailant later killed himself.
Until this week, such school shootings were rare in Turkey.
Earlier, media reports said that authorities sent police and ambulances to the school in the Kahramanmaras’ Onikisubat district, after gunfire was heard there. Images from the scene showed at least two people being put into ambulances.
Parents rushed to the school after hearing reports of an armed attack, NTV television reported, adding that police took security measures around the school.
