Saban Berk (57) shot dead on Papaverweg.

The 57-year-old Saban Berk was shot dead on Monday evening, 17 June 2019, in Amsterdam-Noord, close to the gym where he worked. Berk was a former Thai boxer, gym owner and trainer. He taught classes at The Big Lab gym on Vlierweg. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., he left after a day of work and walked in the direction of his home. According to Opsporing Verzocht, CCTV footage showed that the driver of a silver or grey BMW 3 Series station wagon was watching him. When Berk walked from Vlierweg toward Klaprozenweg and was about to cross near Papaverweg, the driver parked the BMW, got out and walked toward him. Around 9:15 p.m., Saban Berk was shot once. He died at the scene. The shooter then drove away alone in the BMW, which was found about ten minutes later near Vijfhoekpark in Zaandam, without licence plates. Police said part of the Belgian registration plate was known. The shooter was described as a tall, slim-built man of at least 1.90 metres, wearing dark clothing with a hood pulled far over his head. Little was known about his face or skin colour, although one witness believed he was wearing a padded jacket, which stood out because of the weather that day. According to Coldcasezaken, the investigation showed that Saban Berk had been followed for some time before the shooting. Berk was born in 1961 in Gülşehir, Turkey, and moved to the Netherlands with his father in the 1970s. He had previously run his own gym, Saban Gym, and was known in the martial arts community as a respected trainer and father figure. As far as is publicly known, the case remains unsolved. No suspects have been convicted, and police continued to appeal for witnesses and tips. The motive has not been officially established. Media reports have speculated about possible backgrounds, but factually the main point is that Berk was deliberately waited for and shot dead after work.