SEATTLE — A somber mood cast over the shores of Alki Beach on Wednesday night as community members gathered to remember 26-year-old Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi, a Turkish-American activist who was shot and killed at a West Bank protest on Sept. 6.
"On Friday morning, I was driving to work and received one of the most world-shattering text messages ever," said Kelsie Nabass, who was one of Eygi's best friends. "The reason I'm here speaking today is because the rest of our close friends are in Turkey to be with her family."
Eygi graduated from Seattle's University of Washington in June where she studied psychology and Middle Eastern languages and cultures, according to her family. She was a passionate human rights activist who felt a responsibility to serve others through action, the family previously said.
Witnesses say Eygi was shot by Israeli soldiers while at the protest. In the days since Eygi was killed, witnesses have come forward saying that she was not involved in the demonstration.
The Israel Defense Forces put out a statement concluding it was "highly likely" Eygi was shot by Israeli soldiers, but that the shooting was unintentional. Her family disagrees.
Eygi's family said they are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing was unintentional, and have called on the nation's leaders to independently investigate the shooting.
Washington leaders U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) are also calling on President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to investigate the killing.
In a joint statement Wednesday, Murray and Jayapal said those who knew Eygi "deserve to know their government has done everything it can to fully understand what led to her killing, pursue accountability for those involved, and seek to ensure this does not happen again.”