Ex-husband opens fire, woman and taxi driver escape by inches

The incident occurred in the Yıldırım district in June of last year. Kadri Eken argued with his estranged wife Meltem Eken, who was waiting on the road and whose divorce case was ongoing. After the argument, Meltem Eken ran away out of fear of being 'killed' and got into a passing taxi and asked the driver to take her to the police station. In the meantime, Kadri Eken ran after his wife and shot her with a gun she took out of a bag she was carrying. Meltem Eken and the taxi driver, who tried to protect themselves with their bag when they saw the gun, were injured by a bullet that hit their right arms. The fearful moments experienced by Meltem Eken and the taxi driver were captured on the vehicle camera.

THOSE IMAGES WERE INCLUDED IN THE CASE FILE

After the incident, Kadri Eken was arrested and a lawsuit was filed demanding up to 20 years in prison for the crimes of 'premeditated attempted murder of his wife', 'attempted murder' and 'possession of an unlicensed weapon'. The camera footage of the attack in the taxi was also included in the case file. In his defense at the hearing at the Bursa 18th High Criminal Court, Kadri Eken claimed that the gun in his hand accidentally went off, saying, 'I was going to the electricity office at 10:00 in the morning. I waited for him to talk in front of my mother-in-law's house where my wife was staying. When he came towards me, I said 'give me 2 minutes, I have something to say'. He suddenly started screaming. Then he got into a passing taxi. He sat next to the driver. When the driver swore at me, I pulled out the gun. Meltem kicked me through the open door of the taxi and the gun went off,' he said.

'HE AIMED AT MY HEAD AND THE BAG PROTECTED IT'

While Kadri Eken’s trial continues while he is in custody, Meltem Eken, who told DHA about the fearful moments she experienced and whose divorce case is still ongoing, said, “I have been working as an English teacher for 30 years. On the day of the incident, I left home to go to school at around 10:00. Just as I was crossing the street, my ex-husband Kadri Eken, who I am in the process of divorcing, came across me with a plastic bag in his hand. He had a plastic bag in one hand, so I panicked. We see on the news that ex-husbands pull women aside and say, ‘Can we talk for a minute?’ and randomly shoot women everywhere. When I saw him, I panicked, threw myself onto the road and started screaming. No one helped me. I happened to see a taxi in front of the traffic lights. At that moment, my ex-husband was running after me. I screamed and shouted and jumped into the taxi. I begged him and told the taxi driver, ‘He is going to kill me.’ My ex-husband caught up with me. At that moment, he aimed at my head. I raised my bag to my head with a reflex. I realized he was going to kill me. It didn't hit my head because of the bag, it entered my right wrist. The bullet that came out of me hit the taxi driver's right elbow. I heard the man say, 'I was shot too'. The taxi driver suddenly moved away. Kadri Eken continued to run after me. He wanted to complete his unfinished action, he said.

'HE THREATENED TO KILL ME AND MY FAMILY DURING MY MARRIAGE'

Meltem Eken, a mother of one who said that her husband constantly threatened her, said, “Throughout my marriage, he was constantly threatening to cut and kill me, my family, my child. He would walk around with a green knife. When he came home, he would put it on the table. I kept quiet thinking, ‘Something might happen to my child.’ The effects of what I experienced are still continuing. I am receiving treatment, I am taking medication. I cannot go to school or the market alone. I cannot sleep. I constantly see that he is killing me.”

'MY COFFIN WILL BE CARRIED IN THE HANDS OF WOMEN'

Meltem Eken, who said that she still cannot use her hand that was hit by a bullet and that she is afraid of being killed, said, If he had carried out his action, I would be buried underground today. We women are human beings, we have a profession. I am both a mother and a teacher. My life has turned upside down, I cannot use my hand, I cannot lift a teapot, my hand does not turn when I perform ablution, I cannot scratch my back. I know that his grudge continues against me. He will kill me as soon as he is released from prison. My coffin will be carried in the hands of women. Please help me, she said.

'HE LAYED AN ambuscade for my client'

Meltem Eken's lawyer Özgür Abatay, on the other hand, drew attention to the fact that the defendant planned the incident and said that the pre-incident period should also be evaluated during the trial. Abatay said, The defendant makes plans before the incident, makes decisions and carries out preparatory actions regarding this. The other party sets up an ambush just before my client goes to work. Then, on the day of the incident, he waits for my client with his gun in a bag ready. The Court of Cassation criteria state the following; a person needs to make decisions and plan. The defendant did all of this. He did not specifically put the gun on his waist to easily remove it and fired the gun while it was ready. We expect justice. We want him to be punished with the support of the public. As always, he said let's wear a suit, let's cry, let's do some theater. The other party gives contradictory statements at every hearing. We want the results of the attack our client suffered to be taken into consideration and no reductions to be applied.

Source: DHA