Investigators are moving forward with the investigation into the shooting death of the 18-year-old unarmed Ethiopian man by an off-duty policeman earlier in the week. The Police Investigation Unit of the Justice Ministry is probing the death of Solomon Tekka. The policeman who fired the fatal shots has been arraigned and sentenced to house arrest pending the outcome of the investigation.

According to a Walla News report, the chain of events sparked violent riots this week by members of Israel’s Ethiopian community is as follows. The shooter, an officer in the Israel Police, finished his shift at his station and headed home to his wife and their three children. During the evening hours, they headed out to a park. While there, he noticed a number of youths beating up a 13-year-old, trying to steal his money and smartphone.

When the off-duty policeman approached them and instructed them to stop, they ignored him. He then identified himself as a policeman – and in response, they began to curse and threaten him. At this point, it appeared the incident was nearing its end because the youth who was being beaten left the area and the policeman distanced himself from the Ethiopian youths who were cursing at him. It is added he reported that they appeared to have been intoxicated.

After a short period of time, three of the youths came and began throwing rocks at the policeman, striking him in his head, chest and shoulders. The policeman called the police emergency ‘100’ call center for assistance, but before help arrived, according to him, he felt he was in life-threatening danger and drew his pistol in the hope of scaring them away.

At some point, the policeman felt the dangerous situation was getting worse and he then fired one shot towards the ground. “I did not shoot [a warning shot] in the air first” the officer told investigators, “fearing doing so I might hit someone in the area because there were many people around”.

Persons involved in the investigation are quoted telling Walla News that an examination of the bullet revealed only part of it entered the Tekka’s left chest and the remainder remained embedded in the ground.

This is a most significant finding, as the autopsy findings back up the events as told by the policeman, as the bullet removed from the body was bent and only partial, attesting to the fact the bullet struck a hard surface and was damaged, without striking any of Solomon’s bones. In addition, while a portion of the bullet did enter his chest, the remainder was found in a hole in the ground.

This adds credibility to the events as described by the policeman, that he fired at the ground and that is how Tekka was killed, and not because he fired directly at him. Tests are still being conducted on the bullet by forensic experts.

Police officials have decided to relocate the policeman’s family to an unknown location, with heavy security in light of the violence seen this week by members of the Ethiopian community. At present, the policeman, his wife and their children are being kept in an unknown location with round-the-clock heavy security.

Walla adds that a senior officer in Israel Police confirms in recent days, photos of the policeman who fired the fatal shot have been appearing on the internet along with photos of his children. Hence the decision to relocate the family. The officer states the department is taking the situation very seriously, the need to provide protection for the officer and his family, pointing out the officer’s children are 7-months, 6, and 7, and at present, the threat against them is being evaluated as credible and “very high”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)