Citizen struck in the head by stray bullet intubated: Suspects released

The incident occurred on May 30 in the village of Ağaçbükü in the Cide district. According to the information obtained, K.Ö. fired a pistol into the air from the schoolyard during a wedding celebration held there. A bullet from K.Ö.'s weapon first struck the jacket of the wedding host, R.Ö. Despite warnings from those nearby, K.Ö. allegedly continued to fire into the air, and a bullet from his pistol ricocheted off a building wall and struck 48-year-old Mehmet Demir, who was on the road, in the head.

Mehmet Demir, who was left lying on the ground covered in blood, was taken to Şenpazar State Hospital by medical teams called to the scene. After receiving initial treatment there, Mehmet Demir was later transferred to Kastamonu Training and Research Hospital. Demir, whose life remains in danger, has been intubated in the intensive care unit. As a result of the investigation launched by the Cide District Gendarmerie Command regarding the incident, K.Ö. and N.T., who was determined to be the owner of the pistol, were detained. After their procedures at the gendarmerie, K.Ö. and N.T. were referred to the courthouse and released under judicial control.

"We want these people to be arrested"

Mehmet Demir's family has demanded the arrest of those who were negligent in the incident. Mehmet Demir's son, Tayfur Demir, said, "An alcohol table had been set up inside the school during the wedding celebration, and shots were being fired from the school window. The bullet ricocheted off the roof and hit my father in the head. At that moment, the first bullet actually pierced the jacket of the person hosting the wedding. Everyone raised their hands and shouted 'stop,' but the person firing the weapon did not hear it. The villagers were also shouting 'stop' at that time. He didn't care about anyone and continued to fire his weapon. The bullet ricocheted off the school roof and hit my father in the head. He was still continuing to fire. When he realized my father was lying on the ground covered in blood, he fled the scene and got away. He should have helped there. The gendarmerie detained the person, and the duty court released him. My father is currently intubated here in the hospital. He has not overcome the life-threatening danger, and those individuals are walking around freely. We want these people to be arrested; we want justice to be served. The village headman was also present at the alcohol table inside the school during the village wedding celebration. He turned a blind eye to these things and allowed them," he said.

"We do not want guns to be fired"

Mehmet Demir's older brother, Emrullah Demir, also stated, "We do not want guns to be fired. We do not want anyone to make such a request. We have been hurt, and we don't want anyone else to be hurt. My brother is currently on his deathbed," he said.

Mehmet Demir's wife, Derya Demir, said, "I am also filing a complaint against the village headman. He turns a blind eye to everything; we want justice. My husband is struggling for his life. His life remains in danger. They are walking around freely. They fled to Istanbul. I do not want to accept this. I will seek my rights forever, and I will continue my complaint everywhere," she said.

"They poisoned our holiday while we wanted to be happy"

Mehmet Demir's nephew, Ferdi Topcu, stated that they are waiting for good news at the hospital and said, "For some reason, these men were released by the duty court; they are walking around outside, they fled to Istanbul. We do not want to accept this. We want justice to be served. This is our only concern; our only wish was for that man to be inside. But we see that this man has now fled to Istanbul and is walking around. They poisoned our holiday. What is firing a gun? What kind of pleasure do they get from this? We never want such things to happen in our village. My uncle never had any connection with alcohol or cigarettes. But for some reason, such painful events always happen to harmless people. The culprits are outside right now. We do not want to accept this. We always trust in Turkey's justice system," he said.