Court acquits Istanbul deputy police chief on trial over road rage related murder

The deputy chief of Istanbul police, arrested on August 17 over a reported road rage related murder in Istanbul, was acquitted on Wednesday.

Celal Yılmaz, 51, was arrested on the suspicion of having shot and killed motorcyclist Ahmet Suluşoğlu, 32, following an argument while he was on his way home with his wife on Aug. 16 in Istanbul's Halkalı district.

The court had asked up to 18 years in jail for Yılmaz, who was on trial for deliberate murder.

Yılmaz had reportedly called the police emergency line at around 1.00 a.m. local time to say that he had shot and killed Suluşoğlu, police reports had said.

Police said Yılmaz claimed that after their argument Suluşoğlu had followed him to his house in the Halkalı police lodgements.

Suluşoğlu allegedly stopped Yılmaz's car with his motorcycle and the two continued arguing, according to Yılmaz's testimony. Suluşoğlu allegedly pulled a gun on Yılmaz while the deputy police chief was parking his car.

Istanbul police had determined that Suluşoğlu's gun was a blank cartridge gun.