Testimony of student who killed school principal revealed: 'My intention was not to kill, but to beat him'

In Eyüpsultan, in an incident that occurred on May 7, it is alleged that a foreign national student, Y.K. (17), shot and critically wounded school principal İbrahim Oktugan in his office with a firearm, holding him responsible for his expulsion from the private high school he attended and harboring a grudge due to a previous argument between them.

While Oktugan, who was rushed to the hospital, passed away, Y.K. was apprehended and taken into custody following the incident.

After completing procedures at the police station, the minor was transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. Giving his statement to the Prosecutor's Office there, Y.K. was subsequently brought before the duty magistrate with a request for his arrest on charges of 'premeditated murder of a person due to the public duty they perform'.

"I COULD NOT STOMACH WHAT HAPPENED"

Meanwhile, Y.K.'s statement to the prosecutor has been revealed. In his statement, Y.K. said, "I enrolled in this private high school from another school in the middle of the first semester of 2023. Disciplinary penalties were written against me here for various reasons; I did not want to sign them. In December, while I was in my classroom, I learned that my mother had come due to the disciplinary penalties. I went to Principal İbrahim Oktugan's office; they were sitting with my mother.

As I wanted to say something to my mother in Arabic, the principal said, 'This is Turkey; no one can speak another language like this in my school.' A verbal argument broke out between us. When he walked toward my mother, we called the police; we then left the school, and I never returned to the school after that incident. They also did not return the money we had paid. I could not stomach what happened because of this incident," he said.

"NO ONE KNEW I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL"

Stating that he saw someone who attended the same school 1 day before the incident and that the event he experienced in December came to his mind, Y.K. said, "I got angry again. I asked if the principal was still at the school. When they told me he was still working there, I decided to go to the school with the gun I bought for 10 thousand liras on May 4. I left in the morning telling my mother I was going to buy pastries; no one knew I was going to school. When I arrived at the door, I greeted them; the door opened suddenly.

Without saying anything to anyone, I quickly went to the principal's office. He was sitting at his desk; he stood up when he saw me. My intention was to shoot him in the legs, but when he suddenly raised his arm, I thought he was going to hit me, so I fired toward his arm. I had 2 bullets; both hit his abdomen. I fired because I thought he was going to attack me.

Afterward, I quickly left the office and headed toward the door I came from, and holding the gun toward the ground, I said, 'Don't follow me.' I ran to the door and forced it; when it didn't open, I asked someone to open it. A child opened the door. My intention was not to kill, but to beat him. I went home and took the pastries. I changed my clothes. After a while, I threw the gun and my phone into the Alibeyköy Dam," he reportedly stated.