Gendarmerie find dead bodies of four young men in Turkey’s west

Gendarmerie units in the Aegean province of Manisa have found the bodies of four young men lying motionless near a car, three of whom were shot dead in their heads and another with a broken neck.

The men were friends since high school, their families told the gendarmerie forces.

According to the authorities, 24-year-old Neşet Dalgın, 20-year-old Ümit Zangal and his relative, Serkan Zangal, 23, who lived in the Alaşehir district, went to meet with Muharrem Zengin, 20, who lived in the Kestelli neighborhood on Jan. 29.

After spending some time together, the four drove to the Ataşehir neighborhood, pulling up near an empty lot.

A farmer passing by on a tractor saw the bodies and immediately informed the security forces.

Initial investigation at the scene found the three were shot in their heads. Officers later determined that Zengin's neck was broken.

A provincial prosecutor had initially opened an investigation with suspicion of a mass suicide.

But after determining that there were no wounds or signs of a gunshot on Zengin's head and only his neck was broken, it turned into a criminal investigation.

The prosecutor also determined the unlicensed shotgun used in the incident belonged to Zengin's father.

The gendarmerie units conducted a search at the site with drones and two sniffer dogs on the ground to find forensic evidence regarding the deaths.

A relative of Ümit and Serkan Zangal said they were "certain" it was a murder.

"A shotgun was found at the scene. You cannot continuously shoot with a shotgun," noted Samet Keskin, the brother-in-law of Serkan Zangal, debunking allegations they died in a mass suicide.

He also stressed there was no reason for the four to kill each other.

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