19.05.2026 08:00
The car with license plate 01 B 9171, used by the suspect who killed 6 people, including his ex-wife, by shooting them in different locations in the Tarsus and Çamlıyayla districts of Mersin, was found in the rural area of Karakütük Neighborhood. It was learned that the operation continues to capture the suspect, who is believed to have fled into the forested area.
In Mersin, Metin Ö. (37) killed 6 people, including his ex-wife, and injured 8 others in armed attacks at a restaurant and in different neighborhoods. Efforts to capture the attacker have been initiated, while the vehicle he used to flee was found in a rural neighborhood.
KILLED 2 PEOPLE AT THE RESTAURANT WHERE HE WORKED 1 YEAR AGO Metin Ö. (37), about 1 year ago, shot and killed employee Ahmet Ercan and business owner Sabri Pan with a pistol at a butcher shop and restaurant in Kadelli Neighborhood, Tarsus district.
KILLED A TRUCK DRIVER AT A GAS STATION The suspect, who fled the scene in a white car with license plate 01 B 9171, also shot and killed truck driver Gökay Selfioğlu at a gas station in Yeniköy Neighborhood.
KILLED HIS EX-WIFE WITH A GUN AND A MOTORCYCLIST BY ROLLING HIM DOWN AN EMBANKMENT The fleeing suspect shot his ex-wife Arzu Özden, who was walking by the roadside in Darıpınarı Neighborhood, Çamlıyayla district, and killed Abdullah Koca by rolling him down an embankment with a motorcycle in Yeniköy Neighborhood. Continuing to flee, the suspect killed Yusuf Oktay, one of the young shepherds in Karakütük Neighborhood.
ATTACKER ABANDONED HIS VEHICLE AND FLED INTO THE FOREST The suspect also injured 8 people along the route during the attacks. The injured were taken to Tarsus State Hospital and other nearby hospitals by ambulances for treatment. Following the massacre in which 6 people were killed and 8 injured, numerous gendarmerie teams were dispatched to the region to capture the suspect. Helicopter-supported efforts to capture the fleeing suspect continue, while the car with license plate 01 B 9171 that the suspect fled in was found in the rural area of Karakütük Neighborhood. It was learned that the operation to capture the suspect, who is believed to have fled into the forested area, is ongoing.
WITNESS OF THE ATTACKS SPOKE Stating that a serious incident like a massacre occurred in their villages and region, Kaburgediği Neighborhood Mukhtar İsa Gürbüz said, "He came here directly to kill people. He came from above, shooting people with a gun, firing continuously, and never missed. In other words, he doesn't fire without seeing the person. He came from our area, stopped at our shop, and we thought a child was going to buy something. We have a small grocery store. He stopped there slowly in the car, rolled down the window, took out the gun, and shot the child directly in the stomach, then continued. When we shouted from there, he kept going. I ran to the car to grab the gun. I saw he left. We followed him in the car but couldn't catch him," he said.
"THE PUBLIC IS NERVOUS IN THE REGION" Gürbüz, recounting that he learned the person went to a gas station after their village, said, "He carried out the massacre, then turned into a restaurant nearby. There, he injured two people. At the gas station, he injured three people. It's a sad event, not a common occurrence in our region. I wish recovery for the injured. I convey my condolences and patience to the families of the deceased. May God give them patience. It was a very difficult situation, a tough process. We still haven't recovered. The public is currently nervous in the region because the person hasn't been found yet. Gendarmerie, police forces, drones, air and ground search operations continue. But since our area is brushland, it seems difficult to find him. I already told my citizens not to go out or go to the forest. So we are a bit nervous, people are scared. We are going through such a process. I know our state is strong. Because there was a similar incident there before. In a very short time, one day later, the persons there were caught in a special operation by the National Intelligence Organization. They were captured dead. Hopefully, this will be the same. May he be found soon and the public attain peace," he said. - MERSİN