Mardin, Turkey—A gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon inside a crowded neighborhood coffee house in southeastern Turkey on Monday evening, killing two patrons instantly and sending fleeing customers diving for cover. The assailant stepped out from an alleyway, walked directly up to the open-air seating area, and discharged multiple rounds into a group sitting near the entrance. The shooter then fled on foot into the maze of narrow surrounding streets before local police could secure the perimeter.
Emergency medical crews arrived at the tea garden within minutes, finding two men suffering from fatal gunshot wounds to the upper body. Paramedics declared both victims dead at the scene while treating a third patron wounded by stray shrapnel. Police units flooded the district, setting up roadblocks and checking identity documents on vehicles exiting the municipality.
Investigators recovered numerous cartridge casings from the floor of the establishment and began interviewing terrified eyewitnesses. Preliminary inquiries suggest the shooting stemmed from a long-standing blood feud between two local families rather than an act of terrorism. Detectives secured closed-circuit camera footage from nearby storefronts to track the suspect's escape route through the old town quarter.
The mayor's office issued a brief statement condemning the act of violence and urging residents to remain calm. Uniformed officers maintained a heavy presence outside the local hospital and near the homes of prominent family members involved in the dispute. Provincial prosecutors opened a formal homicide investigation into the targeted assault.
The names of the deceased victims were withheld pending official family notifications and coroner clearances. Forensic teams completed their examination of the bullet-riddled coffee house before sealing the entrance with police tape. Community leaders gathered outside local municipal buildings to call for restraint and cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
Security forces continue sweeping rural checkpoints around the district boundary.
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