Turkey mass shooting: Man stopped cars at random and killed 8, link with an earlier case being probed

A man killed 8 people in different areas of western Turkey on Thursday before being arrested. The accused stopped and shot people in the Afyonkarahisar province. The victims were found inside their vehicles at several locations, according to local media. A manhunt was launched, and the man was apprehended in the Eskişehir province. The motive behind the killings remains unknown.

According to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency, three people were killed near Ayazini village, three near the Kiyir village, and two women were found injured in Yukaritandir and later died at the hospital. CCTV footage shows a man in a black jacket, white trousers and glasses holding a shotgun. Among those killed were two teachers. Another victim is said to be in critical condition. It is not known where the ninth victim was attacked.

"Unfortunately, eight of our citizens have lost their lives, and one has been seriously injured in armed attacks in our province," the Afyonkarahisar governor's office said. Afyonkarahisar is located halfway between the capital Ankara and the coastal city of Izmir.

The police closed all roads to the villages where the crime took place as they searched for the man. He was finally arrested in the Seyitgazi district of Eskisehir province. According to reports, the man opened fire at people at random. He stopped cars and then shot the occupants. The newspaper Milliyet reported that the man fled the scene in a red vehicle, which was later found stuck in the mud in the outer region of the university town of Eskisehir.

The Afyonkarahisar Governorate said in a statement, "All relevant institutions of our state have been working in coordination since the very first moment and are meticulously carrying out the necessary work."

According to the DHA news agency, investigators were looking into a connection between these cases and another shooting that happened earlier at the centre of Afyonkarahisar, in which a gunman shot a woman.