Armed attack on a school in Kahramanmaraş: 9 people lost their lives

An armed attack took place at Ayser Çalık Middle School in the Onikişubat district of Kahramanmaraş around noon today. According to allegations, the eighth-grade student who carried out the attack, İsa Aras Mersinli, entered two classrooms with five handguns and seven magazines he had brought with him and opened fire indiscriminately. While a large number of medical and police teams were quickly dispatched to the scene, the school was evacuated shortly thereafter.

STATEMENT FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND MINISTRIES

Kahramanmaraş Governor Mükerrem Ünlüer, in his first statement following the attack, said, "A sad incident occurred at one of our schools. We have wounded. We are investigating the incident in detail," while in a later update, he announced that four people, including 1 teacher and 3 students, had lost their lives and that there were many wounded. It was learned that those in critical condition are being treated in intensive care.

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi stated in his announcement that the death toll had risen to 9, saying, "We are talking about a total of 13 wounded, 6 of whom are in critical condition." It was announced that Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin and Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu, who faced significant backlash on social media and calls for their resignation following the incident, were heading to the region.

STATUS AND POSITION OF THE ATTACKER'S FATHER

It was stated that the father of the student attacker, İsa Aras Mersinli, is Uğur Mersinli, a first-class police chief and chief police inspector. Following the incident, Uğur Mersinli was taken into custody.

While an investigation was launched after the attack, Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced, "The Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has immediately launched an investigation. A publication ban has been issued for the integrity of the investigation."

DETAILS OF THE ATTACK EMERGE

Republican People's Party (CHP) Kahramanmaraş Provincial Chair Ünal Ateş stated that the student attacker had brought the handguns and spare magazines found at home to school and had fired repeatedly into the classrooms by changing magazines. According to accounts from eyewitnesses and school staff, the attack lasted for several minutes, and it was noted that the number of wounded could be higher than the official figures.

Some teachers and parents shared information regarding the student attacker's psychological problems and drew attention to the scale of the incident.

On the other hand, the Ministry of National Education also noted in a written statement that the incident is being examined in all its aspects, that chief inspectors from the ministry have been assigned to the region, and that the treatment of the wounded is ongoing.

Minister of Health Memişoğlu, in a social media post, expressed his condolences for those who lost their lives and stated that the condition of the wounded is being closely monitored.

INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

Authorities announced that investigations into the causes and details of the incident are ongoing. Whether the attack was based on psychological or other reasons will become clear in the coming days. The public is awaiting statements from the authorized bodies.

Following this tragic attack that shook Turkey, security measures have been increased in schools across Kahramanmaraş.

News Source: 12punto