Life of Burak Bektaş
Burak Bektaş was born on 14 February 1990 in the former children’s hospital on Mariendorfer Weg. He was the first child of Ahmet and Melek. Two years later, Burak’s brother Fatih was born, followed by Burak’s little sister Melike in 2002.
Burak lived in Weisestraße in Neukölln for the first five years and went to daycare in Treptower Straße. He had a happy childhood, he was always calm, cheerful, a responsible boy with a very big heart. The family then moved to Kiehlufer and Burak moved from the daycare centre to Hans Fallada primary school in Harzer Straße when he was six, in 1996.
From Year 7 to Year 10, he went to Heinrich Heine School, a secondary school in Rütlistraße. He was a very popular boy among his friends, with whom he had already played together in the sandpit. He was a cheerful person and played a lot with his siblings. He loved pushing his sister in her pram.
In 2009, he moved with his parents and his two younger siblings from Kiehlufer to Süd-Neukölln near the hospital on Rudower Straße.
After the 10th grade, he worked as a pizza courier, did an internship at Fiat and then began an apprenticeship as a car salesman in 2010. Burak attended the vocational school in Mitte on Spittelmarkt and travelled to work in Reinickendorf. His life perspective and goal was to build his own design of cars at some point. He wanted to become a hard-working student and technician. He had a small Nissan car and was a very cheerful person. He travelled a lot, back and forth, work, sport and in between he was always going on errands, “Mum, should I go shopping? Shall I bring something?”. Sometimes he went to the 3D cinema on Potsdamer Platz with his sister and her friends. Or he would meet up with his friends. They were always very important to him. They always stuck together. Long-standing friendships. Going out, having fun. He was always open and helpful. Fitness and martial arts were his hobbies. He had been going to Wing Tsun martial arts several times a week for some time.
He was still training on the evening of 5 April before he met up with his friends and a stranger suddenly ended his life.