02.06.2026 14:41
In Gaziantep, the statements of the defendants in the armed attack case where 18-year-old Mehmet Akdeniz lost his life on August 30, 2025, drew attention. While the defendants recounted going to a vineyard house after the incident to eat and discuss what happened, conflicting testimonies were given in court regarding who fired the first shot.
The third hearing of the case regarding the death of 18-year-old Mehmet Akdeniz, who lost his life after being attacked by armed individuals on a motorcycle in a park in Gaziantep on August 30, 2025, was held at the Gaziantep 3rd Heavy Penal Court. The detained defendants, their lawyers, the victim's family, and their lawyers were present at the hearing.
"WE ATE AFTER THE INCIDENT" During the hearing, defendant Ş. Z. stated in his defense: "My mother called me and said my sister's house was shot at. So, I went to my sister's house with my family. I saw three bullet marks on the window. Then I called Muhammet Arda Ç. He answered and said, 'We were the ones who shot at your sister's house, so what? If you want, let's meet and talk.' I said we could meet in the evening. Defendant Volkan asked me what happened. I didn't want to explain at first, but since he insisted, I told him what happened. That's how the other defendants learned about the incident. I don't remember if Muhammet Murat D. was called or messaged by the victim. But Murat, my older friend, told me the victim had called him and asked about me. Murat replied, 'Yes, I'm asking about you. There's an issue regarding a younger friend of mine, let's resolve it.' Later, they decided to meet, and the victim sent Murat a location. At that time, all the defendants were at the same house. Since we couldn't all fit on the same motorcycle, Volkan said he couldn't come with us. Three of us got into Volkan's car and went to the scene. We saw the victim and two others sitting in the park. We approached them without getting off the motorcycle. When the victim saw us, he signaled with his hand. Then, the person next to the victim opened fire on us. In response, Murat also started firing at them. There was no place to escape left or right at the scene. In panic, I drove the motorcycle towards where they were. I passed by the victim and his friends without stopping and fled. I didn't see anyone lying on the ground or shot while passing. As we left the scene, I heard four or five more gunshots behind me. Then we went to a vineyard house. There were four of us, and no one else was with us. We ate after the incident and talked about what happened. Volkan, my older friend, scolded us, saying, 'Why did you do such a thing?' Later, we were caught by law enforcement. I am sorry that such an incident happened," he said.
18-year-old Mehmet Akdeniz, who lost his life "THERE WAS NO HOSTILITY BETWEEN ME AND THE VICTIM" Defendant Muhammet Murat D. said: "The day before the incident, defendant Eyüp called me and said he was with Ümit and they were drinking alcohol. They came to me around 11:00 PM. We drank alcohol together and then went to sleep. In the morning, Volkan called me and said he wanted to come over. He mentioned that defendant Ş. was with him. Later, defendant Ş. cried and told me his sister's house was shot at. I asked if they had reported it to the police. He said they were constantly being threatened. I said no one threatens for no reason and suggested calling the other party to talk. Volkan reacted by saying that a house with women shouldn't be shot at. The other party also responded. Then both sides apologized to each other. They said the person who shot at the house was Mehmet. I contacted a mutual friend who might know Mehmet's location. I asked if he knew the victim Mehmet Akdeniz and explained the incident. My friend said Mehmet wouldn't do such a thing. I said let's talk and resolve the matter. I felt sorry because defendant Ş. and his family kept crying. Later, the victim reached me. He said he knew what defendant Ş. had told, but there were some things I didn't know. He said he would send a location to meet and offered to meet at a place. After a while, Volkan, defendant Ş., and Eyüp went out. When I asked where they were going, they said they were going to get a motorcycle. Then I called Volkan and said we needed to go and talk. Afterwards, defendant Ş. and Eyüp returned. Initially, we thought of going by car, but then we decided to go by motorcycle. I got on the blue motorcycle with defendant Ş. Defendant Ş. was driving. My only intention was to go and talk with defendant Ş. Eyüp and Ümit didn't know about the incident; they were actually going to the vineyard house, so they came with us. When we arrived at the scene, the victim called me and asked where we were. I said we were on the way. When we reached the park, I heard gunfire. So, I took out my gun and fired towards the ground. Defendant Ş. was shouting, 'There's a gun.' As the gunfire continued, I used all the bullets in the magazine. Then we left the scene. I wanted to call Eyüp and tell him we were going to the vineyard house. Eyüp said to me, 'You said you were just going to talk, why did they shoot at you?' I said we fired back because we were shot at. When we got to the vineyard house, Eyüp opened the door. I told him what had happened. Eyüp and Ümit learned about the incident at that moment. Since they were hungry, we called Volkan and asked for food. After a while, I received a message from the victim's phone. The message asked how we were. So, I searched for the victim's social media account. The person who answered the phone introduced himself as the victim's brother. I asked if someone was shot. He said the victim had been taken to the hospital. I conveyed this news to my friends. We all felt down. I shouted because I was angry. I called the victim's brother again and asked if there was anything we could do. He called us to the hospital. I said we had gone to the scene only to talk and had no ill intentions. Then defendant Ş. and Volkan left the vineyard house. After a while, we learned that the victim had died. I got very angry because of the incident. I thought about hitting defendant Ş., but he wasn't there. Eyüp and Ümit tried to calm me down. Later, I was called for a statement by the police. I said I would go to the residence and could be picked up from there. While walking to the residence, I ran into defendant Ş. and Volkan. Then I surrendered. I had no hostility towards the victim. I wish this incident had never happened. I regret what happened," he said.
The other defendants claimed they were innocent and requested their release.
"THE DEFENDANTS STARTED FIRING IN RAPID SUCCESSION" Witness Cemal H. described what happened on the day of the incident, saying: "I picked Mehmet up from his house. We went to the park together. Mehmet was constantly on the phone. We sat on a bench in the park. Mehmet was describing our location on the phone. After a while, the defendants started firing in rapid succession. After firing, they passed by us without stopping and fled.During this time, Mehmet said he was shot. Then, gunfire was also opened from another motorcycle passing by the park. Afterwards, we went to the hospital. No one from our side used any weapons. I also did not have a weapon on me," he said.
CASE ADJOURNED Taking the floor at the hearing, the relatives of the deceased stated that they were complaining about the defendants. The public prosecutor, considering the current evidence and the nature of the crime, demanded the continuation of the detention status of the arrested defendants. The court panel decided to address the deficiencies in the file and to maintain the detention status of the arrested defendants, adjourning the hearing to a later date.
BACKGROUND OF THE INCIDENT The incident occurred on August 30 at Bülbülzade Park in the Şahinbey district. According to the allegations, a person named Mehmet Akdeniz and his friends were subjected to an armed attack by 4 suspects arriving at the scene on 2 motorcycles. The young man, hit by bullets and collapsing to the ground, was seriously injured. Upon bystanders reporting the situation to the 112 Emergency Health Center, police and medical teams were dispatched to the scene. The medical teams arriving at the scene took the seriously injured young man, Mehmet Akdeniz, to the hospital. Despite all interventions by doctors, the young man taken to the hospital lost his life. Following the incident, the Homicide Bureau teams took action and detained a total of 7 suspects—2 of whom were friends of Mehmet Akdeniz and 1 who helped the attackers—along with the weapons used in the incident.