No. Shooting at the crowd would have been a much bigger disaster for them strategically. What they needed were supporters of their own and political allies.
As for Syria. There is no "good" outcome there anymore if either side wins. There is Assad and there are the jihadis. The latter might have been decent once, when they were protesters on the street, but they offer nothing but a Mad Max world anymore.
edit: Apparently 2700 turkish judges were fired. This list could not have been made in a few hours. It must have been prepared in advance and waiting for the right time.