‘Children Survived Injured Couldn’t Overcome Trauma’

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Second hearing of the trial concerning the incident in which Oğuzhan Erkul and Barış Kerem lost their lives by police fire was held.

İstanbul 1st Heavy Penal Court ordered again for the camera footage, which was requested from property and evidence unit earlier, to be brought.

The file is still being examined at the Forensic Medicine Institution.

Pedagogue : He cannot continue his life

Defendant police officers’ lawyers Tolga Yurdakul and Demirhan Erkul, Birkan Yüksel, Ramazan Altürk, who survived the incident injured, their lawyers and families of the ones who died attended the hearing that was held on June 27.

According to monitoring report by Filiz Gazi from Truth Justice Memory Center, one of the children in the vehicle on the day of the incident D.E. testified.

D.E. said that they left Kent Ormanı at around 10 p.m. and they slowed down when they saw the police, and when they saw the police swearing and coming towards them fast, they panicked and stepped on the gas, and then heard gun shots.

Pedagogue Esra Nihan Bridge said in the hearing:

“Victim’s statements are consistent and they can be given credit. He can give time and place as to the incident day. He is affected both physically and psychologically and he cannot continue his life for a year as a result of the trauma he has gone through. He has no sleeping pattern. His outlook on life and feeling of trust have been negatively affected. He has been receiving psychological support for five months“.

What happened?

There were five children aged between 15 and 18 in the vehicle which police shot at on the ground that they didn’t obey “stop warning“ in Gazi Neighborhood, İstanbul on April 14, 2017.

Oğuzhan Erkul and Barış Kerem lost their lives and the other three children were injured in the shooting.

As a result of the investigation on which prosecutor’s office issued gag order and sealing order, the police officers E.E., K.A., Z.S. and D.B. have been prosecuted on charge of “causing death and injury of more than one person on culpable negligence“. (AS/TK)