A gunman opened fire near a high school in western Turkey on Tuesday, injuring at least 11 people before police arrested a suspect, officials said.

The shooting took place outside a vocational and technical high school in Turgutlu, in Manisa province. Police and medical teams were dispatched to the scene after reports of the attack.

Education Minister Mustafa Ciftci said three of the wounded were in critical condition and receiving intensive care. Another injured person was treated and later discharged from hospital.

Turkish media reported that the suspected attacker was a 15-year-old student at the school. He allegedly arrived carrying a shotgun and fired randomly near the school before attempting to escape on foot.

Ciftci said the weapon had been taken from the suspect’s grandparents’ home.

The motive remained unclear. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said two chief prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the shooting, including allegations that the student may have been subjected to bullying at school.

The suspect’s parents and grandfather, who owned the firearm, were also taken into custody as part of the investigation, Gurlek said.

Security camera footage reportedly showed the alleged attacker walking through a street carrying a weapon. Additional footage showed him running away while still holding the firearm.

The shooting caused panic among parents, with reports saying anxious families rushed to the school. Confrontations reportedly occurred between some parents and police officers who had blocked access to the building.

The attack came only months after two other school shootings shocked Turkey. Authorities had increased security at educational institutions at the beginning of the new academic year.

In April, 16 people, most of them students, were injured when a former student opened fire at a high school in Şanlıurfa province in southeastern Turkey. The attacker later died by suicide.

The following day, a 14-year-old student opened fire inside two classrooms at a school in nearby Kahramanmaraş province. Eight students and a teacher were killed, while 13 others were wounded. Police later killed the attacker.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the latest shooting, including the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s access to the firearm and the possible motive.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, Suzan Fraser, September 22, 2026.