Three killed in Erbil gas station shootout
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least three people have been killed in a gunfight that broke out in a gas station in Erbil city on Wednesday. Police said they are aware of the incident.
The gunfight occurred at a gas station on the Erbil-Kasnazan road when an employee shot at two people and killed both of them. Another citizen was killed in the crossfire, according to Rudaw’s reporter on the ground.
“We have been notified of the killing of three people on the Erbil-Kasnazan road,” an Erbil police source told Rudaw.
An eyewitness explained to Rudaw that a black Toyota Land Cruiser drove to the gas station to refuel, and after some gasoline was spilled, the driver refused to pay for the spilled gas, which led to an argument with the gas station employee before the gunfire ensued.
The suspect has been arrested, and investigations into the gunfight are underway.
The widespread availability of firearms in the Kurdistan Region remains a significant concern. With a booming black market for weapons, including sniper rifles and machine guns, an estimated 70 percent of the region's population owns firearms.
Despite the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) efforts to regulate gun ownership, shootings continue to pose a security challenge.
Last year, the KRG’s deadline for gun owners to register their weapons expired.
Article 15 of the Kurdistan Region’s Weapons Law, passed in 2022, stipulates that “any individual who does not own a license, carries, sells, repairs, or gives out a gun will be jailed for one to three years and fined two million to five million dinars (about $1,500 - $3,800).”
[Source: Rûdaw English]
