'Officer didn't know gun was loaded'
Tivon: Miracle there were no casualties
Photo: Hagai Ofen
Commander jailed for accidentally firing at soldiers
Reservist officer serving in West Bank pulls out handgun during indoor drill and pulls trigger, grazing shoulder of soldier in front of him. He is subsequently dismissed, jailed for 10 days
A commander of a reserve force operating in the West Bank has been convicted of playing with his weapon during a drill and accidentally firing towards his soldiers, Ynet has learned.
Following an investigation the company commander was dismissed and sentenced to 10 days in a military prison. The incident occurred just weeks after a similar case of accidental fire, in which a Golani soldier was killed.
The bullet passed between two soldiers who stood in front of him, and grazed the shoulder of one.
Previous Case
Sergeant Daniel Dresner accused of showing his friend how he points rifle at Sergeant Or Hadad, firing towards him and killing him. Lawyer: He could have been indicted for causing death out of negligence
"This is a serious and dangerous incident that ended without casualties only by way of a miracle," said Judea and Samaria division commander, Brigadier-General Noam Tivon.
The patrolling force, which belongs to the Engineering Corps, was conducting a drill without live fire simulating the "purifying" of a house.
At some point during the drill, the company commander withdrew his sidearm, pointed it at a number of soldiers who stood in front of him, cocked it, and pulled the trigger.
Witnesses said the commander did not realize the gun was loaded. The bullet grazed the shoulder of one of the soldiers, injuring him lightly.
During a hearing that took place as part of the investigation, Tivon said the incident bore an unsettling similarity to the one in which Golani Sergeant Or Hadad was accidentally killed by his colleague.
"In the end the commander cocked his weapon and shot live fire at the soldiers who were with him in the house," he said, adding that the incident revealed many flaws that needed to be taken care of immediately. Tivon said the drill was conducted "with total ignorance of IDF safety guidelines".
The investigation found that the company sergeant had earlier identified that the commander was not in control of his weapon, however he did not report this to his superiors. Also, IDF guidelines forbid reservists from bringing their personal weapons to reserve service.
The commander was relieved of his duties and sentenced to 10 days in prison, and in addition will be prohibited to serve as a commander in the future.
The IDF Spokesperson's Office said in response that lessons from the incident would be passed on during briefings given to the division's troops.
"In addition, guidelines on carrying personal weapons during operations in the West Bank have been reiterated to the forces and safety conventions have been held on the matter," the army stated.
