A taxi dashcam recorded the fatal shooting of a taxi driver in the western İzmir province by a passenger he was carrying, leading to outrage and raising concerns about safety in the streets.
Driver Oğuz Erge, 44, was severely injured when he was shot three times at around 3:30 a.m. on January 31 by 19-year-old Delil Aysal, the lone passenger in the taxi, who was wearing a hood and a mask.
Erge later died at İzmir Atatürk Teaching and Research Hospital. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced Erge’s death on X on Thursday as the camera footage showing the shooting was widely circulated on social media.
“The video footage made publicly available is deeply distressing due to the brutal response to kindness. We don’t doubt that the perpetrator will get the punishment he deserves,” the minister said.
In the video footage the driver is heard telling Aysal that he picked him up at a late hour despite his suspicious appearance, so that he wouldn’t have to wait in the cold any longer.
At the end of the trip, Erge is heard telling Aysal how much the fare is.
Aysal takes a gun from his pocket and fires three shots from behind the driver. Later, he is heard slapping the driver and saying “You shouldn’t trust some people.” The attacker then collects bullet casings and searches the driver’s pockets in an apparent attempt to find money.
According to Turkish media reports, Aysal was apprehended in the Buca district. Following the procedures at the police station, the suspect was referred to the court and subsequently arrested.
Erge’s body was taken from the hospital to the İzmir Institute of Forensic Medicine morgue. Two hundred fifty taxis followed the vehicle along the road, protesting the incident by honking their horns.
The killing of the driver caused outrage on social media, with many users condemning the incident and taxi drivers protesting the lack of personal safety during work and others complaining about lack of safety in the streets.
“The killer not only took the life of [the driver] but also claimed the lives of citizens who will now shiver in the cold. Truly despicable,” journalist Erk Acarer said.
Taksici Oğuz Erge depremde mağdurları ücretsiz taşıyan güzel bir insanmış. Katil sadece onu öldürmedi, bundan böyle soğukta üşüyecek yurttaşı da öldürdü. Çok alçakça…
— Erk Acarer (@eacarer) February 1, 2024
