03.08.2026 22:21
Karan Aydınlısoy, a 5-year-old shot in the back while playing in a pool by gunfire from a neighboring villa in Istanbul's Beylikdüzü district, miraculously clung to life. With a bullet that shattered his lung and stopped millimeters away from the main vessels leading to the heart, little Karan fought for his life in intensive care for a full 16 days and has now been discharged; however, he still faces a highly risky surgery that lies ahead. The 17-year-old suspect, who spread terror, was arrested and sent to prison.
Five-year-old Karan Aydinlisoy, who was seriously injured by a pellet gun bullet that hit his back while playing in the pool of the detached house belonging to his friend's family in Beylikduzu, won his 16-day battle for life and was discharged from the hospital. While days were being counted for the life-critical surgery of little Karan, whose lung was shattered and whose bullet remained right next to the main vessels going to the heart, the 17-year-old suspect identified as having fired the rifle was arrested and sent to prison.
MOMENTS OF HORROR AT THE POOL: LEFT COVERED IN BLOOD
The incident occurred around 18:00 on July 7th. Five-year-old Karan Aydinlisoy, who was invited to his friend's house after school, was shot in the back by a pellet gun bullet from an unknown origin while playing with his peers in the garden pool. The unfortunate child, whose bullet entered through his back, shattered his lung, and stopped right next to the main vessels leading to the heart, was urgently rushed to the nearest hospital by his father, Cenk Aydinlisoy. After 16 difficult days in intensive care, Karan, who was discharged on July 22, 2026, is set to undergo a highly risky surgery in about three weeks to remove the bullet from his body.
MOTHER NAZ AYDINLISOY: "WHILE CLEANING THE BLOOD, I SAW A HUGE HOLE"
Describing the moments of horror, mother Naz Aydinlisoy stated that she couldn't believe what had happened at first and said:
"I was taking photos of the children from the balcony. When I put the phone on the table, I heard Karan's screams. My husband said 'a gunshot sound came', and immediately after, the pool was left covered in blood. At that moment, my mind didn't accept that he had been shot; I thought he must have hit a stone. However, while cleaning the blood on his back, I saw a huge hole there. We learned that the bullet entered through his back, shattered the bone, passed through the vital areas of his heart, and lodged in his lung."
"WE ARE EXPERIENCING A GREAT TRAUMA"
Emphasizing that the incident has caused deep psychological wounds in the family and their children, mother Aydinlisoy expressed her reaction, saying, "My other son, Han, witnessed the incident with his own eyes and constantly says 'They shot my brother with a gun'. Karan constantly asks, 'Mom, am I a thief, am I bad that they shot at me?' We are paying the price for a child that someone else failed to raise while we try to raise our own children. Now we have a surgery ahead with a very high life risk, and I don't know how I will breathe while sending my child to that operating room."
FATHER CENK AYDINLISOY: "THREE GUNSHOTS SOUNDED, BLOOD GUSHED OUT"
Father Cenk Aydinlisoy, stating that he was by the poolside at the time of the incident, said, "Previously, I had heard a loud sound similar to a pellet gun and asked the homeowner about it. While we were chatting, suddenly three gunshots sounded, and I saw blood gushing out from behind Karan. Nothing other than a shooting would cause such bleeding."
"SUCH A THING HAS NEITHER AN APOLOGY NOR A 'GET WELL SOON'"
Also touching on the details of the investigation, father Aydinlisoy stated that it was revealed that the 17-year-old individual in the neighboring villa was shooting with his father's professional scoped pellet gun. Conveying that the suspect was arrested and sent to Corlu Prison, the grieving father said, "We want not only the one who fired the gun, but also the mother and father who did not keep the gun at home and allowed it to fall into the child's hands, to receive the heaviest punishment. They wanted to apologize, but we do not accept any apology. This is not a toy; the legal process will continue until the end."