Found dead in a shooting range of police, Aksem had 12 metal pieces in his body

Click to read the article in Turkish

The preliminary autopsy report on the passing of 16-year-old Muharrem Aksem has been delivered to his family and lawyers.

Muharrem Aksem was found dead in the Micit (Çalışkan) Neighborhood in Eyyübiye district in Urfa, where special operation police officers use a field for firearm training and practice, on March 24, 2022.

Unable to contact him last Thursday, his family started searching for Aksem and found his deceased body in a forage near the shooting range, which is located a kilometer away from the village.

According to the preliminary autopsy report, Aksem did not have his right hand and there were several open wounds in his face and body. The report has found 12 metal objects in different sizes in his body.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Aksem family's lawyer Hatice Akıllı Öz has said that according to the report, there were several open wounds in the child's face and body and the cause of his death is considered being hit by metal pieces. The exact cause of death will be determined in the report of the İstanbul Forensic Medicine Institution's Specialized Board.

Citing the findings in the preliminary report, lawyer Akıllı Öz has said that Aksem did not have his right hand and briefly added:

"When we went to the scene of the incident, he did not have his right hand. 12 metallic pieces were taken out of the body, but it is hard to tell what they are. A ballistic examination will be undertaken to determine what these objects are. Better to wait for the final report from İstanbul".

Lawyer Akıllı Öz has also noted that there is no information as to the exact hour of death of Muharrem Aksem.

Shooting range is against the regulations

Akıllı Öz has further said that while the Urfa Governor's Office has stated that the area has been used as a field for firearm training and practice since 2005, the residents of the neighborhood have not confirmed it: "The people living in the neighborhood say that target practice has been the case in the last 2 years. They also say that very heavy weapons are used during the target practice. It is indicated that bombs are used".

Grave negligence

The lawyer has underlined that the use of the forage for shooting training and practice is "absolutely against the regulations":

"There is no informative board saying that it is a training area, there is no protective measure. People have not been informed that the area is a training area. There are no safety measures. There is apparently grave negligence. Negligence should not be ignored, be that the explosion of a bomb or being hit by a bullet. There is apparently grave negligence".

Misleading news

Lawyer Akıllı Öz has also refuted the news that "Muharrem Aksem had been missing for 3 days" when he was found dead. The lawyer has recalled that "after they had been unable to contact him after 4 pm", the family started searching for him and found him at around 10 pm.

The Demirören News Agency (DHA) previously reported that Muharrem Aksem "had gone missing 3 days before" and "could not be found despite the searches of the family and security forces".

Lawyer Akıllı Öz has also announced that while the wounds in the child's body were related to "metallic objects", there is no information that there are bullet marks. Referring to witness statements that indicated that there was a fox near the dead body when he was found, the lawyer has added that there is also no information as to whether the hand had been dismembered from the body as a result of an explosion or by wild animals.

The final report of the İstanbul Forensic Medicine Institution is awaited to finalize the investigation into the incident. (AEK/SD)