A parent who helped subdue the attacker behind a school assault in Türkiye's Kahramanmaraş recounted scenes of panic and fear, saying students were fleeing through windows and doors as gunfire rang out.

Necmettin Bekçi, who works as a cook at the provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Friday that he was at home on leave when he heard the shots.

"My house is close to the school. When I heard gunfire, I went out to the balcony and saw students running away,” he said. "It was a very difficult day. Even now, my words get stuck in my throat.”

Bekçi said he rushed out of his fourth-floor apartment without remembering how he got downstairs. "Children were jumping from windows and over fences, trying to escape through doors. I said, ‘They’ve entered the school.’ I don’t even remember how I left the house.”

He said he entered the school through the cafeteria area, where two teachers and a cafeteria worker were already trying to restrain the suspect.

"I immediately supported them. I grabbed his arm from behind and forced him down with my knees,” Bekçi said. "He tried to get up. We later learned he was a student, but physically he looked much older. I thought it was a terrorist attack. I even feared he might have a bomb.”

Bekçi said the suspect was shouting "forgive me” as security forces arrived and took him into custody.

Afterward, he began searching for his two children inside the school. He found his son’s backpack in the classroom and assumed he had escaped, then located his daughter, who had been hidden under stools by her teacher in a kindergarten classroom.

"I took my daughter out and continued searching for my son,” he said, adding that he later learned his son had locked himself in a restroom to hide from the gunfire.

Asked whether his intervention helped save lives, Bekçi said he could not be certain. "I don’t know if it made a difference, but I hope it did. I didn’t go there just because my own children were inside. Even if they weren’t, I would have gone. All those children are ours.”

Bekçi added that Osman Aşkın Bak, Türkiye’s youth and sports minister, called him to commend his actions. He also said he sought psychological support following the incident.

"May God never let us experience something like this again,” he said.

Mourners leave flowers at school

Residents gathered at the school following the attack, hanging a Turkish flag at the entrance and leaving carnations and roses in memory of those killed.

Resident Yunus Emre Yüce said they were deeply saddened upon hearing of the attack. "Our flag is for those killed. We pray for those who lost their lives and offer condolences to their families,” he said.

Another resident, Ali Efe Deniz, said he came to the scene shortly after the incident and that a cousin attending the same school survived unharmed.

"No matter what we do, those who are gone will not return. We wish patience for those left behind,” he said.

Ministers pay condolence visit

Ministers Yusuf Tekin, Akın Gürlek and Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş visited the family of teacher Ayla Kara to offer condolences.

The ministers met Kara’s husband, Ramazan Kara, at a condolence house in the Onikişubat district.

He said his wife loved children deeply and had chosen not to retire despite being eligible. On the day of the incident, he said, she had hesitated about going to school due to a strike but ultimately decided to go.

"She went to school, spoke with the principal and started her lesson. About 20 minutes later, the incident happened,” he said.

Officials attending the visit also expressed their support for the family.