Eight people were killed and another was seriously injured in a series of shootings across several villages in western Türkiye on Thursday. The suspected gunman was later arrested in neighboring Eskişehir province following a large-scale search operation.
The attacks took place in the İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar province, with victims found at multiple locations near Ayazini, Kıyır and Yukarıtandır villages.
Three people were found shot dead near Ayazini and another 3 near Kıyır, while 2 women wounded in Yukarıtandır later died in hospital, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
The Afyonkarahisar Governor’s Office confirmed that 8 people had died and 1 person was seriously injured. The office said state institutions were working together under the supervision of the chief public prosecutor to investigate the attacks.
The victims were identified as Ahmet Uzel, 57, Bekir Toprak, 50, Noman Toprak, 56, Seydi Ahmet Aydoğmuş, 73, Satı Aydoğmuş, 68, İsmail Şen, 61, Ayşe Sena Demir, 46, and Hilal Mete, 31, according to Anadolu Agency. Demir and Mete were teachers at İhsaniye Yukarıtandır Secondary School.
Authorities identified the suspect’s vehicle as a red commercial vehicle, which was later found stuck in mud in the rural Taşlık neighborhood of Eskişehir’s Seyitgazi district. Investigators found a shotgun and numerous cartridges inside. The suspect had reportedly abandoned the vehicle and continued fleeing on foot.
The Eskişehir Governor’s Office confirmed in a statement posted on X that the suspect had been captured alive during a joint operation involving provincial gendarmerie and police teams. He was taken into custody and transported to Yunus Emre State Hospital for a medical examination.
Anadolu Agency also reported that the suspect had allegedly stolen the vehicle at gunpoint from 2 young men near Çatören Dam while fleeing. The men said he claimed to be an intelligence officer, searched their belongings and threatened them with a gun before taking their vehicle.
Authorities have not established a motive for the killings. A separate shooting in the Osman Gazi neighborhood of Afyonkarahisar city, where a woman was seriously wounded inside her parked car, is also being examined for a possible connection.
The Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation, assigning a deputy chief prosecutor and 3 prosecutors to the case.