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Mutlu Kaya, Teen Star of Turkish TV Talent Show, Shot in Head

Mutlu Kaya — who hails from the conservative, Kurdish-majority Diyarbakir region — had reportedly received death threats in the mail.
Image: Mutlu Kaya
A teenage star on a Turkish TV show similar to The Voice was shot in the head on May 18.via Facebook

ISTANBUL — A teenage star competing on a Turkish TV talent show similar to "The Voice" was in critical condition after she was shot in the head, according to police and local media.

Nineteen-year-old Mutlu Kaya, who wowed audiences on the "Sesi Cok Guzel" show, was struck by a 7.65 caliber bullet, police said Tuesday. Local media reported that she was shot in her home early Monday.

Investigators were looking into the possibility that the shooter was a spurned lover jealous of the 19-year-old’s newfound success, a Turkish police source told NBC News. The source spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kaya — who hails from the conservative, Kurdish-majority Diyarbakir region — had reportedly received death threats in the mail. The Posta newspaper reported Sunday that she had been threatened by relatives, although police were unable to confirm that to NBC News.

The young singer's mentor on the show, Sibel Can, wrote of her sorrow on her Instagram account.

“My beautiful Mutlu how could they do this to you…. Her condition is critical” wrote Can, one of Turkey's best-known folk singers. “I wish her good health.”

— Aziz Akyavas and Henry Austin