As crime continues to invade the Arab region, a bullet in the northern city of Tamra on Monday night ended with two dead and two injured from a police fire.
Violence has ravaged Arab communities in the past month, with local residents and co-conspiracy lawyers accusing the government of not doing enough to stop it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been campaigning in the Arab region ahead of the March 23 elections, vowing to end the violence.
The scene of the shootout in Tamra
One of the deaths is a suspect who is thought to have been burned at a residence where they were shot. The second is nursing student Ahmed Hejazi, who is believed to have been passing by when he heard the gunfire and was later killed by officers who arrived on the scene.
According to police, officers were suspected of stopping four suspects from shooting at the home, but instead put the fire back at law enforcement, using weapons automated.
Officers found two M16 assault rifles at the site, police said were used by the three suspects, with the fourth fleeing the area.
Initially, officers reported that all those killed were involved in the incident, but after an initial investigation, police said two of them were not involved in the incident.
Nursing student Ahmed Hejazi, killed in a crossfire at the scene
Representatives from the Police Department for Internal Investigation arrived at the scene, and all officers involved were called for questioning.
However, sources inside the Ynet police said shortly after the incident that “officers saw a few people close to the suspects and it is not clear if the two casualties had anything to do with it,” one a student, to the conflict. ”
A doctor who went to the scene to help the injured was also lightly injured by the officers.
“The police are lying, none of the dead had anything to do with this,” a Tamra resident said. “He was at a nearby facility and when he heard gunfire and went outside, he was shot. He was not involved in the other injury (the doctor) either.”
The assault rifles were recovered by police
(Photo: Israeli Police)
After the shooting, hundreds of residents reached Highway 70 near the city, complaining and burning tires. Police arrived and dispersed the demonstrators.
Dr. Tamra Mayor Souheil Diab was ready to meet with the local police captain to discuss what he described as excessive gun use by officers.
“The ease with which officers use live fire against Arabs again kills innocent victims,” said the Mossawa Center, a civil society organization to promote equality for Arab citizens in Israel. .
Since the beginning of 2021 alone, 16 Arab citizens have been murdered.
Conflict between police and protesters in Tamra after the shooting
(Photo: Fadi Amon)
Just an hour before the shooting in Tamra, 30-year-old Adham Bazig of Nazareth was injured in hospital after he was evacuated in an emergency, suffering gunshot wounds.
In recent weeks there have been nationwide protests by Arab citizens against the inability of authorities to stop these deaths.
At a demonstration in Umm al-Fahm, five prosecutors were arrested after a skirmish with the police erupted. Protesters said officers used too much force during their arrests.