A man convicted of murdering a 20-year-old female student in a crime that sparked fury over violence against women in Turkey has been shot dead in prison, local media reported.

Ahmet Suphi Altındöken, 27, a minibus driver, was jailed for life without parole in December 2015 for killing and attempting to rape Özgecan Aslan.

The 27-year-old was taken to hospital after the attack at the high-security prison in the southern Adana region on Monday, but doctors were unable to save his life.

Altındöken’s father, Necmettin, 51 – who was one of two men jailed as accomplices – was also shot and wounded, the Doğan news agency reported, but his injuries were not said to be life threatening.

Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the attack and who carried it out.

Altındöken Jr was shot close to his heart and a 6.35mm pistol was used, the report added.

On the day of her death, Aslan had been travelling on Altındöken’s minibus, his trial had heard. When all the other passengers had got off, he drove to a wood and tried to rape her.

Aslan fought back using pepper spray but Altındöken bludgeoned and stabbed her to death. Altındöken’s father and a friend were found guilty of helping him burn and dispose of the body.

The trial was hailed as hugely symbolic in a country where hundreds of women are killed by men, often their husbands, each year. Killers have frequently been given reduced sentences by arguing that a woman provoked them, or that their dignity was impugned.

Activists say remarks by government officials about women and how they should be treated leave them exposed to violence.