Mohammed B. from Bergen op Zoom announced on Tuesday that he shot fellow citizen Yilmaz Yeral. The shooter says he was surrounded and had to pull out a gun to defend himself. “I fired those shots. As bad as it is, I had no choice.” The public prosecutor sees it differently and speaks of intent and manslaughter. She therefore demanded twelve years in prison.
Bergen op Zoom was shocked by two violent shootings shortly after each other on October 12, 2021. It all started with a fight in a disco and threats.
During the first shooting on Jan Diercksstraat, Ibrahim B. suffered a gunshot wound in his upper leg. His brother Mohammed was so shocked that he wanted to seek redress. He jumped into the car with a childhood friend. “I was mostly scared,” says Mohammed.
He drove to his family’s Moroccan teahouse looking for his brother. At the same time, a group of men arrived from a Turkish tea house further along the Wouwsestraatweg. They met on the street near the Moroccan tea house, Mohammed says. One of the men is the angry Yilmaz Yeral (55).
Surrounded
“I see Yilmaz Yeral banging on the window. I was shocked. I asked: what are you doing here? He sees me and walks towards me. I heard Turkish swear words that I don’t know. His eyes were wide open, very aggressive. I stood in the middle of the circle and it became smaller and smaller. Fifteen people minimum. Then I pulled out a gun. To scare him off. It didn’t bother him at all. I walked back and he came closer and closer, very quickly. Then, without looking out of fear, I shot one shot… He fell. I peed my pants from fear.”
B. fled and drove to Spain the same evening. But he reported to the police a few weeks later.
Fear
Yilmaz Yeral (55) died a few hours later from brain injuries. Experts found traces of alcohol and cocaine in his blood. Mohammed emphasizes that he was afraid of Yilmaz because of his ties with motorcycle club Supremos, successor to No Surrender. “Yeral was their boss.”
Mohammed B. said that he thought it was a terrible incident. “I would like to wish the relatives strength.”
Shooter Mohammed B. had an accomplice, a childhood friend. He was also on the street, according to eyewitnesses with a ‘Kalashnikov’. The childhood friend did not appear at the trial. The Public Prosecution Service demanded a nine-month prison sentence against him.
The threats that still exist were also regularly discussed on this second day of the hearing. Camera surveillance was set up at at least one place in Bergen op Zoom a few days ago.
Calm
Dozens of family members, acquaintances and local residents attended the trial. They sat behind glass or in other rooms with a video connection. At previous hearings there was sometimes swearing. Now it remained calm.
Yilmaz’s relatives sat at the back of the room. They could also control their emotions. One of the two sons said he is angry that his father is being portrayed as a bad man. “He brought trust, peace and love with him everywhere.” The widow wrote in her statement: “I miss him so much. Every minute.”
She also had a message for the shooter: “I will never forgive you. I leave you to the judges and to God.”
The court in Breda will give its ruling on November 21.
READ ALSO: After a silly riot in the disco, revenge followed and bullets flew through the streets