A gunman killed six people and wounded eight others in a series of attacks across Turkey’s Mersin province on Monday, with security forces launching a major operation to track him down.
The suspect, identified as Metin O., 37, began the rampage in the Daripinar neighbourhood of Çamlıyayla, where he shot and killed his 32-year-old former wife, Arzu Özden, at her home before fleeing by car.
He then drove to the Tarsus district, where he opened fire from his vehicle at a restaurant owned by brothers Sabri and Samet Pan. Sabri Pan, 30, and an employee, Ahmet Ercan Can, 18, were killed in the attack. Emergency services were called immediately.
The gunman continued through the area, killing Yusuf Oktay, 16, in the Kaburgeti neighbourhood and Abdullah Koca, 50, in the Yeniköy district. Seven more people were wounded at various points along his route.
The wounded were taken to local hospitals, where they remain under treatment. Relatives of the victims gathered outside the hospitals.
Turkish police and gendarmerie are searching for the suspect across Tarsus, Çamlıyayla and the Pozantı area of Adana province. Helicopters and drones are being used in the operation, with security measures heightened across the region.
(information from cnn.gr)