‘I just let him shoot me’: American caught in Istanbul massacre
Raak, 35, was with his friends celebrating when the gunman began shooting at people
American, Jake Raak, who was at La Reina lounge in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve when a gunman went on a shooting rampage, killing 39 and injuring 60, has recounted the moment he played dead. He even allowed himself to be shot, in order to survive the terrifying ordeal, according to Time magazine.
Raak, 35, was with his friends celebrating when the gunman began shooting at people. He explained how, when the shooting began, Raak jumped behind a bench and lied there motionless among several bodies, playing dead.
“When he shot me I didn’t move - I just let him shoot me,” he told NBC News. “I was shot when I was already on the ground. He was shooting people that he had already shot.”
When Raak was shot, he tried his best not to move or react, despite the extreme pain.
“You just have to stay as calm as you can,” he said. “I took a bullet.”
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