8th grade student kills 4, injures 20 in second Turkish school shooting this week

A student approximately 13 years of age opened fire randomly in a Turkish school on Wednesday, resulting in the death of four individuals and injuring 20, just a day after another shooter injured 16 people before taking his own life at a different school, as officials reported.

A teacher along with three students lost their lives in the recent incident, stated Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer. The student responsible for the attack also died, Unluer confirmed.

"A student arrived at school with firearms, likely owned by his father, concealed in his backpack. He entered two different classrooms and began shooting indiscriminately, leading to injuries and fatalities," Unluer mentioned to reporters.

Four of those injured were in critical condition and receiving surgical treatment, he noted.

The shooter, an eighth-grade student, turned the gun on himself, Unluer explained, adding, "We are still trying to determine if this was a self-inflicted act or occurred during the commotion."

The assailant was the offspring of a former police officer and was found with five firearms and seven magazines, according to Unluer.

"We speculate he might have obtained his father's firearms," the governor remarked.

Video footage released by the IHA private news network depicted an individual — their body and face obscured — being transported in an ambulance, alongside distraught parents who hurried to the school in the main city of Kahramanmaras, located in the southern province.

Law enforcement heightened security around the site, and TV footage displayed ambulances at the scene. 

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced that prosecutors had swiftly commenced an investigation.

This attack followed another incident on Tuesday where a former student armed with a shotgun targeted his previous high school in the Siverek district of Sanliurfa province, wounding 16 before fatally shooting himself after a standoff with law enforcement. 

Among those wounded in that episode, ten were students, as the 18-year-old attacker fired indiscriminately within the vocational high school.

The assailant was reported to have ended his life with the shotgun after being "cornered by police," Gov. Hasan Sildak told The Associated Press.

The reason for that attack remains undetermined, and Sildak indicated that the shooter had no prior criminal history.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing the ruling AKP party in parliament, vowed that any individuals found negligent or culpable "will undoubtedly be held responsible" concerning the school shootings. 

Following Tuesday's incident, police apprehended one individual and suspended four officials from their duties, according to Erdogan. The school received orders to remain closed for four days.

Such school shootings were rare in Turkey until this week. The country enforces strict gun laws requiring a license, registration, mental and criminal evaluations, and imposes harsh penalties for illegal firearm possession.