Alex Trelinski
THREE Turkish men have been arrested after a major figure in a rival organised crime gang was shot dead in a busy tourist area of Torrevieja.
The killing happened just before 7pm on Sunday at the junction of Rambla de Juan Mateo Garcia and Calle Pedro Lorca in the old town area.
The victim, 21-year-olds Caner Kocer, is one of the leaders of a Turkish gang known as the ‘Daltons’.
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The hit was carried out by members of a rival gang, the ‘Caspers’, with both groups recently operating around Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
Kocer, 21, was walking by a restaurant which happened to be closed because it was Sunday.
The assailants wearing sports clothing with caps but with uncovered faces discharged at least six bullets based on casings found in the street.
Kocer collapsed among empty restaurant chairs and tables with paramedics pronouncing him dead at 7.40pm.
He had been staying with family members at a Torrevieja hotel.
The attackers fled along Calle Pedro Lorca towards the Plaza de Oriente and then got into a stolen car with French number plates.
The Guardia Civil and Torrevieja Policia Local pursued the vehicle and officers fired shots at it, with the car nearly ploughing into a group of people waiting to get into a concert.
Two of the men then exited the car to flee on foot but were soon arrested while the driver was detained shortly afterwards on a main road out of the city.
Four guns were seized by officers.
The Turkish detainees, aged 23, 30 and 35, had their identities confirmed with the help of authorities in Germany, France and the Netherlands.
They were jailed after a court appearance and it was revealed they were wanted in connection with a shooting in Malaga province on July 20.
An Audi car in a supermarket parking lot was riddled with bullets as police later recovered 27 casings.
A pedestrian with no connection to the confrontation was wounded and a girl was almost struck by a bullet.
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