The death toll from Turkiye’s second school shooting in as many days has risen to 10.
A 14-year-old opened fire on a high school in the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday, killing a teacher and eight students.
Another victim died in hospital overnight.
The shooting came one day after a 19-year-old gunman attacked a school in the nearby province of Sanliurfa.
The attacks are not believed to be connected.
Tuesday
The first of the two shootings was perpetrated by a former student of Ahmet Koyuncu Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School.
The 19-year-old, who died at the scene, “carried out the attack by firing indiscriminately with a shotgun,” local governor Hasan Şildak said.
A total of 16 people were injured, including several students.
In an update on Thursday, Şildak said six of the wounded remain in hospital.
Wednesday
The next day, a 14-year-old opened fire on two classrooms at the Ayser Calik Middle School, killing nine at the scene and wounding at least 13 others.
A 10th person died overnight, with several still in a critical condition.
Local governor Mükerrem Ünlüer said the shooter, who was found dead at the scene, was “an eighth grader, a student”.
It’s believed the teen used guns belonging to his father, a retired police officer.
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In response to the attack, schools in the region were closed for two days.
Funerals for these victims were held on Thursday.
“We have bid farewell with prayers to our beloved children and our precious teacher who lost their lives in [this] tragic incident,” Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said.
According to Turkish police, the 14-year-old shooter had a WhatsApp profile picture of Elliot Rodger – a student who killed six people in California in 2014.
Rodger wrote in an online manifesto: “All of those beautiful girls I’ve desired so much in my life, but can never have because they despise and loathe me, I will destroy.”
Response
Around 20 people have been arrested in connection with the first shooting.
The father of the teen gunman behind Wednesday’s shooting has also been taken into custody.
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have arrested 162 people over social media posts following the attacks.
Of those, 95 were accused of sharing footage of the incidents despite a media blackout, spreading misinformation, or celebrating crime. Another 67 were arrested over posts suggesting more school attacks were coming.
Over 1,100 social media accounts have also been restricted.
Federal and local officials gathered for an emergency meeting on Thursday, to evaluate “existing school security practices, risk areas, and the need for additional measures”.
In particular, officials discussed the impact of “harmful content spread through digital channels”.
“Every necessary step will be taken to ensure the safety of our children, no area of negligence will go unpunished, and no risk factor will be ignored,“ a statement from the Turkish Government said.
