Police officers investigated in connection with Peki'in riots cleared
Police Internal Affairs Bureau drops charges against five officers suspected of firing into crowd in northern town riots in October 2007; says officers' claims of life threatening situation could not be refuted
The Police Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) announced Thursday that it will not be pressing charges against the five officers who fired into a crown during the Peki'in riots in October 2007.
The case against four of the officers was dropped due to insufficient evidence. The fifth officer was cleared of all charges.
October saw the residents of the northern town of Peki'in stage a protest against the mounting of a new cellular antenna in their town. The protest turned violent after police forces entered the area in an attempt to disperse the protest, which at that point turned into an outright riot.
Thirteen residents, 29 police officers and several Magen David Adom paramedics were injured in the incident. A police officer was held by some of the residents, and was freed only after local clerics intervened.
The five police officers who were investigated for the shooting admitted to using their guns during the riot. Ballistic tests and analysis of some of the shell casings allegedly found on the scene by IAB specialists found a match to four of the five policemen's guns.
"The suspects' claims that they were in a life threatening situation could not be refuted," said a police statement. "In such cases they are authorized to open fire; however, all but one maintained they fired in midair, which the evidence did not corroborate."
Three of Peki'in's residents, who suffered gunshot wounds, filed formal complaints against the five.
"The circumstances of the plaintiffs' injuries have yet to be determined in full, and no bullets were recovered from any of their injury to corroborate their allegations, or indicate who the shooter was" said the Police.
The police committee of inquiry into the Peki'in riots revealed a series of failures both the preparation and execution stages of the operation in its report, published in February.
But despite the committee's conclusion, detailing errors ranging through most of the chain of command, Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen chose to end the disciplinary proceedings by issuing no more than a reprimand against Northern District Commander Maj. Gen. Shimon Koren; dismissing two senior officers and noting personal recommendation in the service files of 10 other policemen.
