Woman shot by police in DHKP-C operation dies

Dilek Doğan, a 25-year-old woman who was shot by police in raid against the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) terrorist organization in Istanbul last week, succumbed to her wounds at the hospital late Sunday. She was not part of the organization.

Doğan's shooting sparked a harsh reaction from her family who say the police deliberately targeted her, though she was unarmed. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş expressed his condolences for Doğan, a department store clerk, and pledged a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.

The house where Doğan lived with her family in Küçükarmutlu, a district of Istanbul known as one of the neighborhoods where the DHKP-C recruits, was raided by police on Oct. 18. The police were searching houses for a suspect at large who was among those who attacked the U.S. consulate in Istanbul on Aug. 10, and a police statement said that the operation in the district also aimed to thwart a potential attack plot by the terrorist organization.

Istanbul police claimed Doğan was the victim of a single shot fired when one of her relatives attempted to grab a police officer's pistol, which went off in the ensuing altercation. The family had claimed they were arguing with police officers not to step inside with their shoes on during the search and a police officer deliberately pointed his gun at Dilek Doğan and fired.

A funeral ceremony was held yesterday at a cemevi - the place of worship of Alevis, of which Doğan was a member - in Istanbul and her body was flown to Kahramanmaraş, her hometown in southern Turkey, for burial.

An investigation has been launched into the incident. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Kurtulmuş said the inquiry is underway and any wrongdoings on the part of police would be investigated. "She died during a commotion between residents and police. Terror operations are difficult to tackle and law enforcement officials have to be very careful. If it is a deliberate shooting, it will definitely be investigated and those responsible will be punished," he said.

The DHKP-C advocates a far-left ideology and is a common presence in Istanbul protests, ranging from the 2013 Gezi Park protests to the latest outburst of violence last week following a suicide bombing in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa that killed 34 people, including activists linked to far-left groups. It is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and the U.S. whose embassy in Ankara was the target of a 2013 attack by a DHKP-C member. The U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, located near the neighborhood where Doğan lived, was also the target of an attack in August by DHKP-C militants. The organization was also responsible for the killing of a prosecutor at a courthouse in Istanbul in March.