Father of Kahramanmaraş school shooting suspect faces 5.1 mln lira lawsuit

KAHRAMANMARAŞ

Turkish flags and memorial items adorn the gates of Ayser Çalık Secondary School in Kahramanmaraş following the tragic shooting.

The family of mathematics teacher Ayla Kara, who was killed in a school shooting in southern Türkiye, has filed a 5.1 million Turkish Lira ($106,000) compensation lawsuit against the father of the teenage suspect.

Kara was among 10 people killed when 14-year-old İsa Aras Mersinli opened fire at Ayser Çalık Middle School in Kahramanmaraş on April 15. Nine students and the teacher died in the attack. The teenager allegedly used firearms belonging to his father, police chief inspector Uğur Mersinli, who is currently in custody.

Following the completion of the criminal investigation and the filing of an indictment, Kara’s family launched separate civil proceedings against Mersinli, seeking compensation for their material and non-material losses.

A Kahramanmaraş civil court granted the family’s request to place a precautionary attachment on all of Mersinli’s assets, preventing them from being transferred or disposed of while the case proceeds.

In its ruling, the court cited provisions of Türkiye’s Civil Code concerning parental responsibility for harm caused by children to third parties. It also referred to established rulings by the Court of Cassation, which have treated a child under 15 gaining access to a firearm or other lethal weapon as potentially reflecting shortcomings in parental supervision, education and control.

The court stated that while parents may not face imprisonment for a homicide committed by a child under 15, they may nevertheless be held financially responsible for the material and moral damages suffered by the victims’ families.

Kara’s family subsequently filed a 5.1 million lira compensation lawsuit against Uğur Mersinli at the court.

Özcan Kara, the family’s lawyer and Ayla Kara’s brother-in-law, said they would continue their legal efforts to ensure those responsible for the circumstances surrounding the attack face the strongest possible legal consequences.

He said the compensation claim could later be increased once expert assessments establish the full extent of the family’s financial losses.