Police officer who caused child’s death with armored vehicle released

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The police officer who was driving the armored vehicle that ran over and caused the death of 7-year-old Mihraç Miroğlu in İdil district in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Şırnak has been released after giving his statement about the incident at the prosecutor's office.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the investigation launched by the İdil Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the incident has been launched on the grounds of "deadly road accident." The police officer was reportedly not detained even though the child has lost his life.

The statement of the suspect police officer was taken three days after the incident today (September 6). Brought to the courthouse in company with police, the police officer has been released after giving his statement. The police officer reportedly said in his statement at the prosecutor's office, "I didn't do it intentionally. I didn't want it to end like this."

What happened?

An armored vehicle hit Mihraç Miroğlu (7) in Turgut Özal Neighborhood in Şırnak's İdil on September 3, 2021. According to the witness statements, the vehicle hit the child while he was riding a bicycle.

According to the June 2019 report of the Human Rights Association (İHD) Diyarbakır Branch, at least 63 armored vehicle crashes took place between the years of 2009 and 2019. (AÖ/SD)