Erdoğan sends condolences to family of slain police officer Mehmet Ali Topatan

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a condolence message to the family of police officer Mehmet Ali Topatan, who was killed in a gun attack during a traffic operation in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district.

The incident took place on Fatih Sultan Mehmet Avenue in Akevler neighborhood at about 10:50 p.m., according to a statement from the Istanbul governor’s office. Police officers conducting a traffic check had taken action against a vehicle they identified as operating as an illegal taxi.

The driver, identified as Ekrem A., opened fire on the officers after the intervention, seriously wounding Topatan. The attacker then shot himself with a gun he was carrying, the governor’s office said. Both men were taken to hospital, where they later died.

Topatan died despite medical efforts to save him. His body was buried at Edirnekapı Police Martyrs’ Cemetery. Erdoğan subsequently sent the officer’s family his condolences.

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The driver, Ekrem A., opened fire on our police teams and seriously wounded our police officer Mehmet Ali Topatan. The attacker died at the hospital after being taken there with serious injuries.