Forensics: Police Officer Testimony Not Credible

Turkey's main forensics institute did not the claims of Mehmet Saylam, police officer, who said "I slipped and then my gun fired" in the case of Mahir Zorbey Demirkaya - a compulsory drafting fugitive who was killed by police fire during his transport to prison.

Turkey's main forensics institute did not the claims of police officer who said "I slipped and then my gun fired" in the Demirkaya case.

According to an article written by İsmail Saymaz on Radikal newspaper, a forensics institute report submitted to the court said: "We declare that it was impossible the gun shots have been made while losing balance during falling, and that the guns shots have been made by pulling the trigger two consecutive times."

What happened?

On 4 March 2012, Demirkaya was detained by the police for "holding a minor". In the meanwhile, police detected that Demirkaya was a compulsory drafting fugitive and ordered to serve 10 months of prison.

Following that, Demirkaya reportedly asked the release of his handcuffs to embrace his mother. A police officer shot him in the head as he ran away after the release of his handcuffs.

Suspect Saylam claimed that he shot Demirkaya by mistake, which led to his acquittal by court. After a prosecutor objected the court decision, Saylam has been arrested by the court again.

On 10 May 2012, on the first hearing, the court released Saylam on the "changingpossibility of crime's nature", despite prosecutor's charges for "deliberate murder" ofSaylam. (EKN)