Turkish 8th grade student stabs teacher to death

İZMİR - Doğan News Agency

Friends and family of Durukan (inset) wait in front of a hospital before learning of the teacher's death. AA photo

A 15-year-old eighth grade student stabbed his teacher to death after the two argued over the student's tardiness in the Karabağlar district of the Aegean province of İzmir today.
 
Science teacher Sevilay Durukan, 40, did not allow H.K. into the classroom yesterday after the student arrived late for the class, sending him to the principal to take a late note.
 
H.K. came back to the class from the principal's office and flung the note at Durukan's face, reportedly saying, "I will stab you."
 
H.K. subsequently left the school building after the first class in the morning and went back to his home, grabbing a knife from the kitchen. His mother asked what he was going to do with the knife, to which the student yelled, "I will stab myself and everyone else” before departing. H.K.'s mother immediately phoned the school to let them know of the exchange with her son.
 
The student then arrived at the school at around 9:30 a.m., entered the classroom Durukan was teaching in and allegedly stabbed Durukan in the stomach and in the buttocks. Durukan was rushed to the nearby Baki Uzun Hospital by her colleagues but could not be saved.

H.K. was disarmed and restrained by other teachers at the school, who called police. Officers arriving at the scene detained H.K. and took him to the children's bureau.
 
Durukan was married and was the mother of two children.
 
Police protection was requested
 
Durukan's colleagues told reporters that the murder victim told the school administration about the threat she received yesterday and that the school asked for protection from the police. Teachers said police officers arrived at the school today in the morning and left after staying for a short time. They said H.K. apparently waited for officers to leave before attacking Durukan.
 
A number of teachers who wanted to remain anonymous said they felt unsafe at the school because students frequently resorted to violence after such arguments, adding that they feared for their own safety especially when they were arriving or leaving the school premises.
 
Students' parents rushed to the school after hearing word of the incident to pick up their children as students who witnessed the killing were seen to be crying uncontrollably.