Former Turkish football star ‘on the run’ from police after alleged involvement in fatal shooting ‘caused by road rage’

A former top-flight footballer in Germany and Turkey has allegedly been involved in a fatal shooting that reportedly killed a 24-year-old and injured four others earlier this month.

Sezer Ozturk, who played for Turkey's two biggest clubs, Fenerbahce and Besiktas footballer, has been named by Turkish media as the protagonist of the alleged deadly incident on September 19.

Local sports broadcaster NTV Spor detailed that witnesses who have already come forward have claimed that Ozturk became involved in a fight during a case of road rage.

The outlet said that the 35-year-old opened gunfire on a group of people near Istanbul's northern district of Sile, claiming that unverified video footage appears to back up its report.

The dead victim has been named as Halil Ibrahim Genc, with police said to be on the hunt for Ozturk after he allegedly went on the run following the incident.

Ozturk was born in Velbert, Germany and was a graduate of the Bayer Leverkusen academy that has also produced the likes of Chelsea star Kai Havertz and Bayern Munich's Leroy Sane.

He joined Nurnberg before a switch to Manisaspor in his parents' homeland of Turkey.

His most successful spell was at Fenerbahce, where he won the Turkish Cup in 2012 and 2013.

The former Turkey youth international never officially announced his retirement, although he has been without a club since 2015, when Besiktas released him.

Before that, Ozturk was dropped during a loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir for putting on too much weight.

Responding to the media claims, Ozturk's long-term former agent, Ozkan Dogana, called his ex-client "the most just and emotional person in the world."

"If he sees someone hungry, he can't sleep – he gives what he has in his pocket," Dogana wrote on Twitter.

"He doesn't go and attack people in the neighborhood. He won't hurt [anyone].

"It's a shame. Don't lynch [him]. Justice, justice – please. First, you have to understand what [happened]."