A 49-year-old Turkish man who was killed by German police was buried in a cemetery in Mannheim on Tuesday.
Turkish Consul-General in Karlsruhe Mahmut Niyazi Sezgin and the man's – identified as Ertekin Özkan – relatives attended the funeral.
Police officers who attended the ceremony did not wear formal uniforms.
On Dec. 23, police in the southern German city of Mannheim killed Özkan after claiming that he was holding a knife and threatening officers with an attack.
Following the fatal shooting, the German police method of "neutralization" was heavily criticized on social media.
With several videos posted on social media showing the shooting of Özkan while he was some 3-4 meters away from the police team, social media users said police should have attempted to injure him rather than fatally shooting the Turkish man.
Meral Sert, Ertekin's sister, described her brother's death as an execution by the German police. Expressing disbelief, she questioned the use of four bullets against her brother, stating, "Four unnecessary bullets. Even if one shot was fired, why four? One police officer fired twice, and the rest once. There was no justification for any shooting. I perceive this as an execution. It's akin to murder."
Per Germany's Ministry of Internal Affairs directives, police may use firearms only as a last resort. The discretion to employ a firearm rests with the responding officers, guided by the principle of "proportionality."
