The house arrest of the policeman who shot and killed 19-year-old Solomon Tekka, a member of Israel’s Ethiopian community, was not extended on Monday, as it was decided to permit him to remain free pending the ongoing investigation against him by the Justice Ministry Police Investigations Unit (PIU).

The PIU had instructed police to change the suspicion against the officer from ‘manslaughter’ to ‘death by reckless action’. The court session was a ‘closed door session’ due to the nature of the case, as the policeman’s identity is not being released as per a court order.

As a result of the officer being free without house arrest, police fear this may spark renewed violent protests around Israel by young members of Israel’s Ethiopian community. Hundreds of people were injured in the violent rioting and property damage and destruction, including police vehicles, was considerable.

A session was held in Knesset on Monday with the participation of Solomon Tekka’s family, and they of course expressed opposition to the officer’s release from house arrest.

The off-duty policeman was in a Haifa area park with his wife and children when he witnessed a brawl nearby. He went to the scene and identified himself as a policeman, and according to him, he then was attacked by the mob with rocks.

He eventually fired at the ground, he explained to investigators, and it appears a ricochet from a bullet entered the victim’s left chest, killing him.

Forensics at the scene confirmed that a partial bullet was lodged in the ground and a fragment was uncovered during the autopsy, the piece of the bullet that killed the young man, who was unarmed. The officer told investigators that he felt that he was in life threatening danger, compelling him to fire a warning shot at the ground, afraid to fire in the air as is the norm since so many people were in the vicinity.

The shooting death led to nationwide violent riots by members of the Ethiopian community.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)