Musician killed in Turkey for not knowing song

Onur Şener, a musician working at an entertainment venue in the capital Ankara, has been killed by three people with whom he argued on the grounds that he didn’t know the song they requested.

A group, who came to the venue in the Çankaya district late on Oct. 2, wanted Şener to play an encore.

Though the verbal argument that started after Şener said he didn’t know the song turned into a physical fight, it was ended when the venue staff and customers intervened.

Three people from the group beat Şener, who was on his way home after closing time, with glass bottles.

Upon the notice of the citizens who witnessed the incident, the police separated the fight, but Şener, who was seriously injured by glass pieces in his throat, died in hospital despite all medical interventions.

The Ankara Police Department teams detained three suspects linked with the incident.

After Şener’s murder, who participated in a TV contest titled “O Ses Türkiye” (Türkiye’s version of The Voice) in 2013, messages of condolence poured in from the social media accounts of Türkiye’s famous artists.

Pop-rock star Emre Aydın wrote, “I am really sorry, whatever is written is useless. I wish patience to his family,” while pop-star Gülben Ergen said, “I feel the pain of Onur Şener, the father of two children, deep in my heart and I curse the mentality that killed him.”