Teenager Killed in Talgar: Details Clarified

The brutal killing of 16-year-old Sherzat Polat caused public outroar throughout the city. An Orda.kz correspondent visited the scene and spoke with the Sherzat's family. 

Days later, the incident continues to be a topic of discussion in Talgar. Details, opinions, speculations, and rumors emerge constantly. Comments on local media pages are anything but scant. The young man's relatives, meanwhile, seek an objective investigation.  

 What Happened?

The young boy was killed near the Kamazhay store on Mendeleyev Street. The store belongs to Sherzat Polat's mother. A small table with his photo and flowers stands near the entrance. 

The family does not live in Talgar but in the neighboring village of Azat. Gulbara, Sherzat's mother, usually works in the shop. However, on Thursday evening, October 3, her husband, Karzhaubay Nurymov, was there instead. Nurymov works as an ambulance paramedic in the Ili district. 

After 23.20, two strangers entered the shop. One wanted to purchase a beer but was refused — it is illegal to sell alcohol after 23.00. The buyer started bickering, and Karzhaubay agreed to make the sale. He was shown a transfer confirmation but received no payment notification. A heated exchange followed; Karzhaubay eventually told the visitor no payment was needed. 

Sherzat, who was in the store by chance, witnessed the conversation: the young man needed a phone charger. Sherzat went after the customer who had stepped outside. After an altercation, Sherzat struck him in the face. Karzhaubay ran out and separated the two, after which the offended customer started dialing numbers on his phone. 

Three cars would later pull up to the store, Karzhaubay recalled. He asked his son to go behind the store. 

I said: guys, let's sort this out. I'm the father, I'm answer for my son. And then one of them started telling me: 'My name is Nurbol, I'm from Khutor, everyone knows me.' I replied: 'It's good that everyone knows you, but I don't know you and I don't want to know you. But let's sort this out normally, without fighting. If you want, I'll pay for your hurt pal's treatment. If you want, I'll take him to a cafe. If you want, I'll give him money,' Karzhaubay said.

At this time, Karzhaubay's brother, Nurganat, also showed up. As it turned out, he knew Nurbol. The two proved that the shop's patron had not paid for the beer, sparking the altercation. A deal was struck: amends were made, money was given for the purchase, and they shook on it. The Khutors left, and the brothers returned to the store.

About 10 minutes later, three cars returned. Nurbol popped into the store again, but this time with a more aggressive demeanor. Karzhaubay claims he tried to placate the man with money and food, but he demanded that Sherzat show himself. 

One after another, people started emerging: villagers led by a man of about 40 years old, called Chika, and Sherzat's friends, about five or six people. 

It was already past midnight; Karzhaubay returned to the store to call the police but said he couldn't get through. Chika entered the store accompanied by a young man and two young women. 

Then, a brawl erupted on the street. Karzhaubay tried to leave the store but received a blow to the head from a bottle. Someone also sliced his back with a knife. When he finally broke out onto the street, a shot rang out.

Sherzat and his friends were fending off their attackers. The assailants used knives, and Sherzat, who was on the ground, had taken a blow from a rifle butt. His mother and grandmother witnessed everything. Sherzat's uncle Nurganat Gaipbayev described discovering his nephew's wound:  

I ran over to Sherzat. I held him and asked what happened. Then I saw a wound on his chest; his lungs had been hit. I covered the wound with my hands and shouted that we needed to call an ambulance. I said, ‘Guys, stop, someone was stabbed here, he’s dying.’ I shouted at the top of my lungs and held him. At one point I realized that they wanted to finish him off and clutched Sherzat – it’s better to let them hit me. At that moment they started hitting him. I held onto him with all my might and shielded him until the end. Then they were finishing up with the others. I didn’t have time to count how many there were, it was dark, we were in the bushes then, Nurganat says.

Nurganat sustained four stab wounds and a rifle butt to the head. The melee fizzled out around 1 a.m. The Khutors departed. Sherzat, his friend Akhmed, and his uncle Nurganat were taken to the hospital, where Sherzat passed away. Eyewitnesses say the police arrived at the scene around 2 a.m. 

Who Are The Khutors?

Nurganat Gaipbayev added that the area locals call "Khutor" (the villages of Aqbulaq, Bereke, and Ryskulov) has an infamous reputation. Their residents have attacked someone before and somehow evaded liability. According to Sherzat's family, his attackers have connections. 

"Khutor" is located in the foothills and has several streets with one—or two-story residences. Some are worn down, but new cottages are being actively built on the outskirts. There are almost no enterprises or social institutions there, yet there are many apple orchards, ski resorts, and cafes. 

The day after the incident, seven people were detained. Sherzat's relatives believe there were at least 13 attackers, however. Two young women were immediately jotted down as witnesses. Eyewitnesses say they handed out the weapons, however. Police would later announce that they were looking into other people's involvement.

Fearing that some would go unpunished, they made their voices heard in front of the Talgar police station on October 8, stating they were ready to commit self-immolation. They demanded that the investigation be transferred from Talgar to Qonayev. Their demand was met. And the Minister of Internal Affairs, Yerzhan Sadenov, took the investigation under special supervision. On his orders, an investigative group was assembled. 

Public lawyers Askar Kaimakov, Karina Kosherbaeva, and Maral Zhailaubaeva joined the family's case and agreed to work for free and closely monitor the investigation's progress. Meanwhile, the Almaty Region Police Department refuted rumors that the suspects belonged to an alleged criminal called the "Khutors."

Original Author: Danil Utyupin

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. For accuracy, please refer to the original article in Russian posted on 09/10/24. The article has been updated to reflect the current situation as of 10/10/24.