One dead after family feud leads to gunfire in Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A man was killed and least one other person was injured by gunfire in Erbil on Saturday in a family dispute, according to police.

Shots were fired in front of an apartment block in the city, MRF Quattro Towers, on Saturday evening.

“The son-in-law started firing and the father-in-law responded to the shots, injuring the son-in-law,” Erbil police spokesperson Hogir Aziz told Rudaw’s Bahroz Faraidun at the scene.

According to the family, the two people involved in the shooting were brothers-in-law.

One person was taken to hospital in critical condition, but died of his injuries, Aziz confirmed to Rudaw's Rawchi Hassan later Saturday evening.

The other shooter fled the scene, but has been identified by police. "We have started our efforts to arrest the person who escaped," said Aziz.

A security guard employed at the residential buildings was also injured. Tens of bullet shells were seen on the ground in front of the apartment complex.

MRF Quattro Towers, located on Erbil's Gulan Street, is a densely populated complex. Restaurants and shops are located at street level and children play in the inner courtyard.

Gun ownership is high in the Kurdistan Region and the government has struggled to bring it under control, limiting the number of privately-owned weapons. Firearms, including sniper rifles and machine guns, can be bought on the black market.

“According to our research, 70 percent of Kurdistan Region residents have weapons,” Tavga Omer general director of legal affairs for the parliament's human rights committee, told Rudaw’s Ranj Sangawi on Monday. “The existence of a law alone doesn’t really solve the issue.”

Under the law, persons over 18 who are permanent residents of the Kurdistan Region and have no criminal record or mental illness can carry a weapon. The law has come under criticism.

“There are some gaps in the law, that’s the reason why it is not implemented as it is,” Sami Jalal, an official from the Ministry of Interior, said on Monday. “For example, there are so many exceptions. If you look at the exceptions, it’s half of Kurdish society.”

 

Updated at 9:20 pm