20.10.2026 21:30
A verdict has been issued in the case concerning police officer Mehmet Tozun, who was martyred when gunfire was opened on a police team responding to a report of an armed clash in the Seferihisar district of İzmir. İzmir 22nd High Criminal Court sentenced detained defendant brothers Mehmet Salih Çelik and Sedat Çelik to aggravated life imprisonment and 30 years in prison each for wounding 2 police officers. The defendants had claimed that they mistook the police for their adversaries.
In the case concerning the incident in İzmir's Seferihisar district, where Mehmet Tozun (38) was martyred as a result of an armed attack at the address he went to in response to a report of a conflict, and 2 police officers were wounded, detained defendants Mehmet Salih Çelik and his brother Sedat Çelik were each sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'killing a person due to the public duty they performed' and 30 years in prison each for wounding 2 police officers. The other 2 non-detained defendants each received 3 years and 9 months in prison.
The incident occurred on November 20, 2024, at around 20:00 in Turabiye Neighborhood of Seferihisar district. An armed attack was carried out on a plainclothes police team that went to respond to a report of an armed conflict. In the attack, Commissioner Furkan Hakan Aşkın and police officers İbrahim Gümüştekin and Mehmet Tozun were wounded. Seriously wounded police officers Gümüştekin and Tozun were taken to Dokuz Eylül University Hospital, while Commissioner Aşkın, who was wounded in the arm, was taken to Seferihisar State Hospital. Within the scope of the investigation launched after the incident, Mehmet Salih Çelik, who carried out the attack, and 13 suspects were taken into custody.
Mehmet Salih Çelik and his brother Sedat Çelik, along with S.K. and B.Ç., who were referred to the courthouse, were arrested. Mehmet Tozun, who was married and the father of one child and whose treatment continued in the hospital, was martyred on December 6, 2024. Gümüştekin and Aşkın were discharged after their treatment. S.K. and B.Ç. among the suspects were later released.
ATTACK CAPTURED ON CAMERA MOMENT BY MOMENT
The attack on the police teams was also reflected in security camera footage. The footage included the moments when a car arrived in front of the market on Turabi Street and police officers who were on the street due to the report were shot and fell to the ground.
WE THOUGHT THEY WERE OUR ENEMIES DEFENSE
The investigation launched after the incident was completed and an indictment was prepared. In the indictment, for Mehmet Salih Çelik and his brother Sedat Çelik, aggravated life imprisonment and up to 42 years in prison each were requested separately for the crimes of 'killing a person due to the public duty they performed' and 'attempting to kill a person due to the public duty they performed'. For B.Ç. and S.K., up to 5 years in prison each was requested for the crime of 'causing death as a result of failure to fulfill the notification obligation'. The indictment was accepted by İzmir 22nd High Criminal Court and the trial of the defendants began. In their statements, the defendants claimed that they thought the police officers were people with whom they had a feud.
AGGRAVATED LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR TWO BROTHERS
The trial of the defendants continued today at İzmir 22nd High Criminal Court. Detained defendants Mehmet Salih Çelik and his brother Sedat Çelik, non-detained defendants B.Ç. and S.K., and lawyers attended the hearing. At the hearing, the prosecution repeated its opinion on the merits and requested that the defendants be punished. The defendants, who were given the floor, requested acquittal. The decision was announced after the defense statements. The panel sentenced detained defendants Mehmet Salih Çelik and his brother Sedat Çelik to aggravated life imprisonment each for the crime of 'killing a person due to the public duty they performed' against Tozun, and 30 years in prison each for wounding 2 police officers. The panel also sentenced Mehmet Salih Çelik to 1 year and 6 months in prison for the crime of 'purchasing, carrying or possessing bullets with unlicensed firearms'. The court panel sentenced non-detained defendants B.Ç. and S.K. to 3 years and 9 months in prison each for the crime of 'causing death as a result of failure to fulfill the notification obligation'.