Türkiye school shooting: 11 students injured, four detained

Türkiye's Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said 11 students, two of them seriously, were injured in a shooting outside a school in Turgutlu district of Manisa, adding that the suspect as well as his mother, father and grandfather had been detained.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek issued a statement on social media regarding the shooting near İnci Üzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Turgutlu, Manisa, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

Gürlek said no negligence threatening children's safety would go unanswered and stated:

“The fact that 11 of our students, two of them seriously, were injured in a shooting outside the school building, on the street where our students were going to school, in Turgutlu district of Manisa has deeply saddened us all. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured children and extend our best wishes to their families, friends and the education community. Immediately after the incident, the Turgutlu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched a comprehensive investigation, with two public prosecutors assigned under the coordination of the chief prosecutor. The child suspected of carrying out the attack was quickly apprehended and detained.”

Gürlek stressed that no negligence or irresponsibility could be overlooked when children's safety was at stake.

“With a legal amendment we recently initiated, we had made families' responsibilities regarding their duty of care and supervision clearer and stronger. In this context, the mother and father, as well as the grandfather who was determined to have possessed the weapon used in the attack, have also been detained. How the weapon used in the attack came into the child's possession, the conditions under which it was stored, the parents' duties of care and supervision, and allegations that the child had experienced peer bullying before the incident are being investigated comprehensively and meticulously. The authorities will pursue this incident, which threatens the safety of our children, firmly and within the law; those responsible will be identified meticulously, and no negligence will be overlooked. In strong coordination with the relevant ministries and institutions, we are closely monitoring both the judicial process and the condition of the injured students. I once again wish the injured students a speedy recovery.”

Vice President Yılmaz: Judicial and administrative investigations launched

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said regarding the attack: “Our ministers of National Education and Interior are heading to the scene, and all necessary judicial and administrative investigations have been launched.”

Manisa Governor's Office issues statement

The governor's office said it received a report at 7:59 a.m. that shots had been fired in an area near the high school.

A large number of police officers and medical teams were dispatched to the area following the report, the statement said.

“According to initial findings, eight people were affected. The injured were transported to the nearest medical facility. Following the incident, the suspect believed to have fired the weapon was apprehended and detained by our security forces.”

A judicial and administrative investigation has been launched into the incident, the statement added.

Education suspended for the day

The Ministry of National Education said the incident near İnci Üzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Manisa in the morning had deeply saddened the education community and the wider public.

The ministry said all relevant state institutions, particularly security forces and medical personnel, had been mobilized immediately after the attack and that a comprehensive investigation had been launched.

The ministry said three inspectors had been dispatched to Manisa to examine the incident in all its aspects, in addition to inspectors from the provincial directorate.

Psychosocial support teams have also begun rehabilitation activities for students, teachers and parents affected by the incident, it said.

“Education and training activities at the aforementioned school have been suspended today,” the ministry said, adding that relevant institutions were continuing to work in coordination and with determination to ensure a thorough investigation.

RTÜK issues warning to media outlets

Türkiye's Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) said it was closely monitoring the incident in Turgutlu.

RTÜK called on media service providers to adopt a highly responsible approach that takes into account social peace, public order and, particularly, the mental well-being of children and young people.

It said only statements from authorized official sources should be used to prevent misinformation and protect the integrity of the investigation. It also called on media outlets not to broadcast traumatic, frightening or chaotic images containing violence from the scene, publish unverified speculative information that could cause public outrage, or violate the privacy of students, families and the education community.

RTÜK warned that legal sanctions would be initiated immediately against broadcasts that could harm social sensitivities or encourage violence.

Photo: Chat GPT