Father of school shooter blames son as case goes to trial

KAHRAMANMARAŞ

In a striking statement at the first hearing for an April school shooting in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, the assailant’s father on Sept. 4 said he plans to file a criminal complaint against his son for stealing the firearms used in the attack.

The court began the trial on Sept. 4 of the parents of the attacker responsible for the deadly school shooting that sent shockwaves across Türkiye.

In April, a student opened fire at his school, killing nine students and a teacher. The attack prompted the Education Ministry to introduce a broad range of security measures, including tighter controls at school entrances and psychological risk assessments for children.

The attacker, who died at the scene, used firearms belonging to his father, a senior police officer, to carry out the assault.

The father, Uğur Mersinli, and mother, Peyman Pınar Mersinli, appeared before the court on Sept. 4 over alleged negligence that contributed to the attack.

Uğur Mersinli said his son had found the firearms, arguing that his access to the weapons did not amount to parental negligence.

He said he had no knowledge that his son was planning to carry out a shooting at his school, arguing that it was wrong to place the entire responsibility for the incident on him.

“It is wrong to attribute the entire risk of the incident to me. The firearms were stolen. Bedrooms are places in homes that are kept locked,” he said.

Arguing that there was a perpetrator if a crime had been committed, Mersinli said: “The perpetrator is İsa Aras Mersinli, and no public case has been brought against him. The prosecution prepared a mixed indictment under public pressure in order to accuse the mother and father.”

Mersinli also announced that he intends to file a criminal complaint against his son and was seeking to have him prosecuted for theft over the firearms.

The father is facing 10 aggravated life sentences for “intentional killing with possible intent” and up to 30 years in prison for “causing injury with possible intent.”

The mother is also being prosecuted and faces up to 22.5 years in prison for “causing the deaths and injuries of multiple people through conscious negligence.”

Ahead of the hearing, lawyer of the families of the victims Özcan Kara said the ruling in the case will constitute an important legal precedent concerning parents’ responsibilities in educating and supervising their children and would help shape society’s approach to the issue.

Kara said the indictment was primarily based on the presence of firearms in the home, including seven handguns with loaded magazines and two shotguns.