Physical education teacher Sultan Sema Gökçe, who survived the attack in the village of Bozhüyük in the İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar that claimed the lives of 8 people, recounted what she experienced during the incident in her statement.
According to the investigation, Arif Sefa Özdemir (28) killed Ahmet Uzel (57), Bekir Toprak (50), and Numan Toprak (56) due to a debt-receivable dispute following a combine harvester transaction. It was stated that along his escape route, Özdemir also killed Seydi Ahmet Aydoğmuş (73), his wife Satı Aydoğmuş (68), İsmail Şen, and teachers Hilal Mete and Ayşe Sena Demir, while wounding Sevgi Polatlı, in an attempt to hijack their vehicles.
The suspect, who fled to Eskişehir after the murders, was apprehended there. Taken into custody, Özdemir was arrested by the court on charges of "intentional murder of more than one person."
Sultan Sema Gökçe, who survived the attack, stated that she was in the same vehicle as her teacher colleagues Hilal Mete and Ayşe Sena Demir at the time of the incident. Gökçe stated that the attacker first approached under the pretext of asking for help, then pointed his weapon at them.
I was sitting in the front seat. First, he asked for help, saying, 'My vehicle broke down.' Then he immediately pointed his weapon and said, 'I won't harm you. Just give me the car and go.' Upon this, I immediately got out of the vehicle, went down to the lower part of the roadside, and shouted, 'Don't do it.'
Gökçe stated that her two friends in the vehicle could not get out due to fear and panic, and that the attacker said, "I am counting down from three. If you don't get out, I will shoot." In her statement, Gökçe said, "He started counting backwards, and when the time was up, he started firing. I thought he would kill me too, but he left without firing at me."
Within the scope of the investigation, it was also determined that Özdemir had purchased the pump-action shotgun used in the attack from a person named M.A. for 12 thousand liras about a month ago, and that the weapon was unlicensed.
News Source: 12punto
