Pretend he is abroad

Tülün Ta’s son was shot dead in a car in a parking lot outside the family’s townhouse.

To raise awareness of how relatives are affected by crime, she is participating in a new campaign from the police.

– It is not a game, not a game, she tells TT.

Tülün Ta’s son Emirhan was only 18 years old when he was shot to death in Norsborg in southern Stockholm last year. After that day, life can never be the same.

– It is an open wound and it will be open all my life, says Tülün Tas.

For Tülün Tas, it is important to talk about her son. She describes him as an empathetic and helpful person, both towards friends, family and those around him.

Tülün Tas does not want Emirhan to be forgotten or become a number in the statistics of people who have fallen victim to the gun violence that is claiming more and more lives in Sweden.

The mother does not want to talk much about what happened on that day in January 2022 because it takes so much energy. But the son was not convicted of any crime and the murder remains unsolved.

– He was only 18 years old. We must not forget that he was only 18, he was not an adult, says Tülün Tas.

Want to give a counter-image

To raise awareness about how relatives can be affected by crime, Tülün Tas participates in the Stockholm police’s new information campaign on Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat.

The goal of the campaign is to prevent children and young people from being lured into crime and the police want to present a different image than the lifestyle that criminals themselves communicate.

It is a lifestyle that, according to the police, glorifies violence, weapons and gang life.

– We want to provide a counter-image to the one found in social media. A picture that the police, defectors and relatives testify to, says Anders Bryngelsson, press secretary at the Stockholm Region police.

“No play”

For Tülün Tas, it was obvious to stand up. She wants children and young people to see what crime can lead to and to show that there are other ways.

But in order for crime and gun violence to be stopped completely, agencies such as the police, school and the surrounding area must work together, she believes.

– It’s not a game, it’s not a game. Emirhan is ready. He has nothing more in this life, but what is here is his family, loved ones. We are the ones who are left, we are the ones who are sad and we are the ones who mourn, she says.

– So before you take that weapon, before you take that money that you think is worth so much: don’t do it. It is not worth it. There is no end, either you kill or you die.

Since the murder of Emirhan is not solved, Tülün Ta does not trust the justice system.

Live in a bubble

She describes life today as living in a bubble. She may laugh sometimes, but she never feels any joy.

Instead, Tülün Tas pretends that her son is abroad. He just forgot to get in touch for a while.

– I constantly live in the belief that he will not come today, but maybe tomorrow.

FACTA Police’s campaign

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