Former Turkish football star ‘on the run’ from police after alleged involvement in fatal shooting ‘caused by road rage’
A former top-flight footballer in Germany and Turkey has allegedly been involved in a fatal shooting that reportedly killed a 24-year-old and injured four others earlier this month.
Sezer Ozturk, who played for Turkey’s two biggest clubs, Fenerbahce and Besiktas footballer, has been named by Turkish media as the protagonist of the alleged deadly incident on September 19.
Local sports broadcaster NTV Spor detailed that witnesses who have already come forward have claimed that Ozturk became involved in a fight during a case of road rage.
The outlet said that the 35-year-old opened gunfire on a group of people near Istanbul’s northern district of Sile, claiming that unverified video footage appears to back up its report.
Yıllarca menajerliğini yaptım. Dünyanın en adaletli ve duygusal insanıdır. Birini aç görse uyuyamaz cebindekini verir. Gidip mahallede insanlara saldırmaz zarar vermez. Ayıptır linç etmeyin. Hak hukuk adalet lütfen. Önce ne olduğunu anlamak lazım. #sezerozturkpic.twitter.com/iwMPuZTzP8
The dead victim has been named as Halil Ibrahim Genc, with police said to be on the hunt for Ozturk after he allegedly went on the run following the incident.
Ozturk was born in Velbert, Germany and was a graduate of the Bayer Leverkusen academy that has also produced the likes of Chelsea star Kai Havertz and Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane.
He joined Nurnberg before a switch to Manisaspor in his parents’ homeland of Turkey.
His most successful spell was at Fenerbahce, where he won the Turkish Cup in 2012 and 2013.
The former Turkey youth international never officially announced his retirement, although he has been without a club since 2015, when Besiktas released him.
