On 5 April 2018, 37-year-old research assistant Volkan Bayar shot and killed four staff members and injured three other people at Eskişehir Osmangazi University in Eskişehir, Eskişehir Province, Turkey.
| Eskişehir University shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkey |
| Date | 5 April 2018 c. 3:00 p.m. – c. 3:10 p.m. (UTC+3) |
Attack type | mass shooting, school shooting |
| Weapons | 9mm CANiK semi-automatic handgun[1] |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Injured | 3 |
| Perpetrator | Volkan Bayar |
Bayar surrendered to police after initially trying to escape. Those killed were the deputy dean of the education faculty, Mikail Yalcin; the faculty's secretary, Fatih Özmutlu; lecturer Serdar Caglak; and assistant lecturer Yasir Armagan.[2][3]
It was considered the deadliest school shooting by a lone gunman in modern Turkish history until the Onikişubat school shooting in 2026.
Timeline
editResearch assistant Volkan Bayar arrived at the Faculty of Education on the Meşelik Campus of Eskişehir Osmangazi University around 15:00. He first went up to the second floor of the faculty, where he pulled his gun out of his pocket, entered his room, and shot faculty secretary Fatih Özmutlu. After shooting Özmutlu, Bayar went to the next room and shot the Vice Dean Mikail Yalçın there. Bayar then went up to the third floor and shot research assistants Serdar Çağlar and Yasir Armağan. There was great panic in the faculty, where gunshots echoed, and a large number of police and medical teams were dispatched to the campus upon notification.[4]
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| c. 3:00 p.m. | Volkan Bayar entered the Faculty of Education building and began shooting inside the third-floor offices, targeting several staff members.[5] |
| c. 3:05 p.m. | The shooting ended after a few minutes, leaving four dead and three injured. |
| c. 3:10 p.m. | Bayar attempted to flee but was apprehended by police officers without resistance.[5] |
| c. 3:30 p.m. | Emergency responders arrived at the scene; the university was placed on lockdown and evacuated.[5] |
Trial
editIn connection with the 2018 Eskişehir University shooting, both Volkan Bayar and his ex-wife, Saadet Aylin Bayar, faced serious legal consequences. Bayar was charged with the premeditated murder of the four university staff members, and with the attempted murder of three others who were injured during the attack. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to four life terms in prison.[6]
Saadet Aylin Bayar, Volkan's ex-wife and a fellow research assistant at the university, was detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack. Her detention was part of the broader investigation into the shooting. She was later found guilty and also sentenced to life imprisonment.[6]
The event highlighted significant concerns regarding workplace safety and the handling of internal disputes within academic institutions in Turkey.[7][8][9]
Perpetrator
editUniversity rector Hasan Gonen described Bayar as a "problematic" person who was being investigated for verbally insulting academic staff as a result of suspected "psychological problems".[citation needed]
Other reports said the attacker had upset colleagues by alleging they were members of the group blamed for the failed 2016 coup in Turkey.[2]
See also
editOther Turkish school shootings:
References
edit- ↑ "Katliam yaptı". diyaloggazetesi.com. 6 April 2018.
- 1 2 "Turkey university gunman kills four in Eskisehir". BBC. 5 April 2018.
- ↑ "Shooting at Turkish university leaves 4 people dead; attacker arrested". globalnews.ca.
- ↑ "Eskişehir'de göz göre göre gelen katliam! 'Bir şarjöre bakar' diyordu". Hurriyet (in Turkish). 6 April 2018.
- 1 2 3 "4 people reportedly killed in university shooting in Turkey's Eskişehir". Hürriyet Daily News. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- 1 2 "4 akademisyeni öldüren Volkan Bayar'a verilen ceza belli oldu" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
- ↑ "Couple faces life for school shooting". Daily Sabah. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ↑ "University shooter in Eskişehir cold-bloodedly killed all victims, probe finds". Daily Sabah. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ↑ "University Shooting Triggers Debate on Social Witch-Hunt in Turkey". The Globe Post. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2025.