Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency:  Newsflash

The law student son of a Turkish judge and prosecutor has reportedly shot his ex-girlfriend dead in a car park before turning the rifle on himself.

The incident took place in a shopping centre car park in the district of Bakirkoy in the Turkish province of Istanbul on the evening of 18th March.

According to local media, Murat Bayirkoylu, 21, shot his ex-girlfriend Yagmur Sonmez, 21, dead after a row in the car park for unknown reasons.

He reportedly killed her with a rifle before turning the weapon on himself.

Witnesses called the emergency services and Sonmez was taken to hospital in a critical condition before succumbing to her injuries.

Bayirkoylu was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sonmez studied pharmacy at a private university and Bayirkoylu attended law school.

According to local reports, his mother Ismihan Boza is a judge and his father Muhittin Bayirkoylu is the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Bakirkoy. They divorced some years ago and he was their only child.

Sonmez’s family, friends and Bakirkoy mayor Bulent Kerimoglu attended her funeral at Atakoy 5th Section Omer Duruk Mosque today (21st March).

Her body was buried at Zeytinburnu Eski Kozlu Cemetery after the noon prayer.

Femicide is a growing problem in Turkey, particularly after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July last year. According to the 2021 Annual Data Report announced by the ‘We Will Stop Femicide Platform’, 280 women were killed by men in 2021, while 217 women were found dead in suspicious circumstances.

According to data from the ‘Monument Counter’, established online to honour the victims of violence against women in Turkey and updated every day, 83 femicides have taken place since the beginning of 2022.