Gunfight in Gazi Quarter: 2 dead and 1 injured

Two people died in a gunfight between two groups in Istanbul on Monday, which is claimed to have broken out as a result of dispute about drugs.

Mehmet Akgül and Murat Çelik were killed in the gunfight, which took place in Sultangazi district, and Mustafa Ürek was seriously injured. It has been reported that a group, allegedly affiliated with the far-left DHKP-C terrorist group, were looking for someone they believed to be a drug dealer, but instead encountered the alleged dealer's brother, Mehmet Çelik.

After shooting Çelik and his friend Mustafa Ürek, the five-person group then reportedly started to shoot randomly, killing Mehmet Emin Akgül, who was the victim of random shot while trying to go home. Akgül and Çelik died at the scene, while Mustafa Ürek was badly injured. It was later discovered that Akgül was a fourth-year student at Şişli Industrial Vocational High School.

The police have found a large number of empty cases and five pump rifles at the scene. It has yet to be determined whether they were used by the group. Police are examining the security footage and still conducting investigation.

This is not the first incident to have happened between DHKP-C and drug gangsters. Another gunfight took place in Gülsuyu in 2013, another district in İstanbul, in which DHKP-C is known to have been involved, leading to the death of Hasan Ferit Gedik along with injuries to three others.