Family of university student taxi driver murdered in attack speaks out

The funeral of İbrahim Eren Peker (20), a university student and taxi driver who was stabbed to death in his vehicle following a dispute at traffic lights in front of the Mevlana Cultural Center in the Karatay district of Konya, was laid to rest in Karaman yesterday. Peker's grandfather, Üzeyir Uysal (65), with whom he lived in Karaman, told reporters that he learned of the incident when he got up for morning prayers. Calling for deterrent sentences, Uysal stated that the fire that has fallen on their home must be prevented from falling on others, saying, "Turkey's top priority is justice. Should a 19-year-old youth die over a road rage dispute? These criminals act comfortably, thinking 'there is no penalty for carrying a knife.' When they stab, they don't think, 'Will this person die or not?' We want this system to be fixed. We want them to receive the harshest punishment. Even if they are caught, my child is gone. Does someone have to die for someone else to be arrested? Turkey's first priority should be the justice system. This is what we demand from our state."

"HE WAS PLANNING TO FINISH SCHOOL THIS YEAR AND GO ABROAD"

His uncle, educator Mehmet Uysal, said that Eren had started working as a taxi driver on weekends 6 months ago to earn pocket money. Stating that Eren was a child loved by everyone around him and that he was both working and studying, Uysal noted the following:
"Eren was a 2nd-year student at Konya Technical University, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Furniture and Decoration Department. He was driving a taxi in his spare time. He had dreams. He was planning to finish school this year and go abroad. He went out in his spare time to give the regular drivers at the stand a break. Our children are not raised easily. These children are the ones who will save the country. We send them off, but unfortunately, they come back in a hearse. This is a very painful thing. This child grew up without a father. He was truly eager to work. We were going to apply for his passport next week. The child was learning a language, he was learning design. He had been driving a taxi in his spare time for 6 months. He was a bright child with a promising future. We buried our child after a brutal attack. The justice system and the penal system need to be reviewed. Will it only come to the agenda if fire falls into every home? Unfortunately, those who go inside come out as more professional killers or thieves," he said.

"WE SAW 10-15 STAB WOUNDS"

Emphasizing that they want the captured suspects to receive the harshest punishment, Uysal said, "A person is not brutally murdered over a road rage dispute. I washed him with my own hands. A human being is not left riddled with holes. We saw 10-15 stab wounds. They had a dispute near Alaaddin Hill due to a road rage issue. Later, near Mevlana, they cut him off at the traffic lights. The child didn't even understand what was happening. As soon as he got out of the door, they laid him out on the ground there. 3 people attacked him at once. He managed to save himself somehow, but he fell 10 meters away. After he fell, he received the main blow. They tore him apart from his heart, his chest, everywhere. This is not something a normal person could do. This is a murder committed with brutality," he said.