Gunman Kills Six and Wounds Eight in Southern Turkey City

A man armed with a rifle killed at least six people and wounded eight others in several locations in Tarsus, Turkey on Monday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attacks occurred after the gunman first shot and killed his wife in a street.

The suspect then fired from his car at a restaurant, killing the owner and an employee, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Police supported by helicopters and drones continued searching for the 37-year-old suspect, identified as Metin O, who remained at large.

The gunman later killed a teenager, a 50-year-old man and one other person in another Tarsus neighborhood, Anadolu Agency reported. He then fled in a car, according to Demirören News Agency. A restaurant employee wounded in the leg, Mehmet Han Topal, described the moment the gunman entered.

"He came in without a word... We thought he was getting his telephone out, but he brought out a pistol," Topal said. Erdogan offered condolences for the deaths after a Cabinet meeting but did not discuss the gunman or possible motives. Turkey has experienced multiple shootings in recent weeks.

Last month an attack at a school in Kahramanmaras province left 10 people dead, and a day earlier another school shooting injured 16 people in a nearby province. According to a Turkish NGO, citizens hold tens of millions of firearms, most without permits.