Police may close case against officer who killed Ethiopian Tekah
The latest report comes amid claims that Tekah and some of his friends were chasing the policeman when he fired on them wildly without looking.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBProtesters stand opposite police during a protest for the death of 18-year old Solomon Tekah of Ethiopian descent, after he was shot by police, in Tel Aviv, Israel July 2, 2019(photo credit: CORINNA KERN/REUTERS)
State Attorney Shai Nitzan may decide in the coming weeks to close the investigation into a policeman for killing Ethiopian Solomon Tekah in June, Channel 13 reported Tuesday night.Alternatively, Nitzan may issue an indictment for negligent homicide, which would still be a far cry from initial expectations of a murder or manslaughter case.Tekah’s killing shook the country and led to nation-wide protests by the Ethiopian community about dangerous discrimination by police and racism against them in general.The latest report comes as there are claims that Tekah and some of his friends were chasing the policeman when he fired on them wildly without looking.Although the policeman’s conduct in this case would be problematic, being chased would put his actions in a far more justified light.In July, the Police Investigations Department (PID) sent a letter to Tekah’s parents defending the findings of the police ballistics department and the state’s forensics institute (not connected to the police) that the bullet which the policeman fired and killed Tekah was a ricochet.This issue is also of crucial importance, as if the policeman fired at the ground and not directly at Tekah, then he probably cannot be charged with more than involuntary manslaughter as recommended by the PID.PID also rejected a request by the parents to view the case file before the prosecution make a final decision about the alleged charges, though it did say that it would consider the possibility of performing additional investigatory activities requested by the family.Further, an autopsy carried out by the PID found that Tekah had a very high blood alcohol level and residual drugs in his body at the time he was shot, The Jerusalem Post’s sister paper, Maariv, reported.The autopsy was done at the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir, according to sources familiar with the details.
The PID condemned the leaks from the investigation and expressed sympathy with the family’s anger regarding those leaks.The police placed the policeman who shot and killed Tekah on forced leave back in July.The decision came following the July decision by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court to free the policeman and to allow him to enter any police precincts besides his regular one in the Haifa area.Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
