Nine dead, 13 injured in Turkish school shooting by 14-year-old student

A 14-year-old student opened fire at a school in southern Turkey on Wednesday, killing eight students and one teacher, and injuring 13 others. Six of the injured are in intensive care, with three in critical condition. The incident occurred in Kahramanmaras, where the student reportedly arrived at school with his father's weapons in his backpack and fired randomly in two classrooms around 1:30 PM local time. The targeted classes had students around 10 years old. A video authenticated by AFP showed students jumping from a first-floor window and others fleeing through the courtyard amidst screams and about fifteen gunshots. The shooter, the son of a former police inspector, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though authorities are investigating if it was suicide or occurred during the chaos. His parents have been arrested. This incident follows a similar attack the previous day at a high school 200 km east, which injured 16 people. School establishments in Kahramanmaras province will be closed on Thursday and Friday. Teachers' unions have called for a two-day strike across Turkey, protesting violence in schools. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed sorrow over the "tragic attack" and promised a full investigation. Turkish Parliament President Numan Kurtulmus also offered condolences. School shootings are rare in Turkey, where millions of firearms are estimated to be in circulation, mostly illegally.