Life sentence requested for police officer who shot youth in the back for failing to stop: 'My gun went off while I was running'

The first hearing held at the Gebze 6th High Criminal Court was attended by the detained defendant İbrahim S., the victim's family, and the lawyers for both parties. Presenting his defense regarding the incident, İbrahim S. said, "I offer my condolences to Kerem's family. I regret the accident that occurred; I wish such an incident had not happened. I ask for the family's forgiveness."

I am sorry for causing such pain. On the date of the incident, I was on the motorcycle patrol team. We had gone to a gas station. Later, I stepped out of the gas station's cafeteria. I walked around a bit. I gave a 'Stop' warning to the motorcycle rider whose face I recognized.

He stopped, and I performed a background check. I looked at the motorcycle he was using. Subsequently, we had a dialogue where I asked, 'What are you doing with this person?' In this conversation, I told Kerem, 'You are riding a motorcycle, be careful; there have been theft incidents during this period.' Again, during our conversation, I showed him photos and videos of several stolen motorcycles regarding motorcycle thefts. I received some information from this individual," he said.

"I FELT THREATENED"

Stating that his team partner told him the person he stopped resembled a wanted motorcycle, he said, "I told my partner, 'One motorcycle looks like another.' Later, when I looked toward the motorcycle Kerem was using, I saw that there was no license plate on the back of the motorcycle. I ran to reach him. At that moment, he was turning from the vehicle road."

The place I went was a narrow area where a pedestrian could pass, but I ran to get in front of him; however, he also started to accelerate to avoid being caught. The place I ran after him was dark. When I saw him reach for his waist with his left hand, I felt threatened, but I could not fully understand whether he was actually reaching for his waist or trying to pull down his sweatpants that had risen due to the wind.

In the meantime, I wanted to run after him while cocking my weapon. As I was cocking my weapon, my gun fired suddenly. The distance between us increased. I watched and waited in the direction he was heading until he left my line of sight. To prevent another incident, I cleared my weapon due to the gravity of the situation," he stated.

"I THOUGHT HE HAD A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT"

Stating that he informed his team members who arrived on the scene that the motorcyclist had fled, İbrahim S. said, 'My team member and I got on the motorcycle and headed in the direction Kerem had gone. A short while later, a traffic accident code came over the radio. When I arrived at the scene, the motorcycle was overturned in front of a car.'

At first, I thought the individual had been in a traffic accident. When I went over to him and checked, I felt moisture on his back and saw that he had a gunshot wound. I performed first aid to keep his blood pressure from dropping and to keep him alive. An ambulance arrived at the scene 1-2 minutes later.

They also performed first aid and took the individual to the hospital. I then went to the Gebze Public Security Bureau. I do not accept the charges against me; I request my acquittal, or if a conviction is to be handed down, that the provisions most favorable to me be applied,' he stated.

'MY GUN WENT OFF WHILE I WAS TRYING TO COCK IT AS I RAN'

Stating that he was in his official uniform during the incident, İbrahim S. said, 'As soon as the individual saw me, he headed toward the exit of the gas station.'

At that moment, I did not see the license plate that should have been on the back of the motorcycle. Upon this, I started running. While running, I shouted a warning, 'Stop, police, don't run.' I did not fire the weapon I drew from my holster at any target. I did not fire into the air either.

Because I had no intention of firing the gun I drew from my holster. My gun went off once while I was trying to cock it as I ran. I did not aim. I did not point it at Kerem. Since I was running on the same plane, there was no situation where I was aiming or targeting him.

When the gun went off, the distance between us was perhaps 20 or 25 meters. I had not seen this individual before; I suspected the motorcycle might be stolen because it had no license plate. I was suspicious because it was a KTM brand motorcycle and resembled motorcycles that had been the subject of theft before.

"I had noticed a bulge at Kerem's waist. I could not tell if this bulge was from his clothing, a belt buckle, or a weapon, but based on my professional intuition, I was suspicious of it," he said.

"THE POLICE OFFICER ABUSED HIS WEAPON"

Sabri Uzun, the brother of the deceased, who filed a complaint against the defendant, stated, "I did not witness the incident personally, but my brother did not have a weapon on him at the time. His license plate had fallen off his motorcycle earlier, and he had even reported it to the police station. He fled because he was afraid they would issue a fine for not having a plate. In fact, before the incident, he told his friend, 'I shouldn't go to that gas station, the police will fine me,' but he went after his friend said, 'Nothing will happen.' When he saw the police, he got scared and started to run. He did not use any abusive language or resist the police officer. He simply ran away. The police officer abused the weapon provided to him for his duty. I am filing a complaint against the defendant for this incident."

The parents of the deceased also filed a complaint against the defendant.

LIFE SENTENCE AND INCREASED PENALTY REQUESTED

In his closing statement, the public prosecutor requested that the defendant, İbrahim S., be sentenced to life imprisonment for "intentional killing with possible intent," and that the sentence be increased by one-third because he used a weapon he was authorized to carry for his duty to commit the crime.

Following the defense arguments presented by the lawyers, the court panel decided to continue the defendant's detention and adjourned the hearing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INCIDENT

The incident occurred on the night of September 13 on Mimar Sinan Street in the Mimar Sinan neighborhood of Gebze district. According to the information obtained, 21-year-old Kerem Uzun did not comply with a police 'Stop' order while riding his unplated motorcycle. A bullet fired from the police officer's gun struck Uzun as he attempted to flee on his motorcycle. Uzun fell from his motorcycle after being hit in the back, and medical teams were dispatched to the scene upon notification. Despite all interventions at the hospital, Uzun lost his life. Following his statement regarding the incident, police officer İbrahim S. (29) was arrested and sent to prison.

News Source: İHA