Istanbul deputy police chief faces up to 18 years for murder


Celal Yılmaz, a deputy police chief in Istanbul, faces a prison term of up to 18 years on charges of deliberate manslaughter due to unjust provocation after killing a man in a road rage-related murder on Aug. 17.The prosecutor's office prepared an indictment for Yılmaz. He was riding a motorcycle while off-duty when he shot dead Ahmet Sülüşoğlu, 32, following an argument with the victim. Sülüşoğlu had followed Yılmaz to his home in the Halkalı police lodgings in Istanbul after the two apparently argued over a right of way. Yılmaz had said the victim confronted him and drew a pistol, so he fired in self-defense. Sülüşoğlu's gun was found to be a blank cartridge pistol. Yılmaz was released pending trial after the incident that triggered debate on whether a deputy police chief should be more careful when firing a gun, as he had been trained to use a gun to inflict injury rather than killing the victim. Related: Istanbul deputy police chief arrested over road rage related murder