Soldier who played with weapon convicted of killing friend
Judges rule unanimously Dan Waltziano violated safety procedures two years ago by fiddling with weapon which discharged bullet killing Corporal Yaniv Pozoarik
Soldier Dan Waltziano was convicted Tuesday by the Haifa Military Court of killing friend and fellow soldier Corporal Yaniv Pozoarik in March 2008 at a northern IDF post.
The judges ruled unanimously that the soldier had violated safety procedures by playing with his weapon causing an accidental discharge which killed Pozoarik.
After the verdict was given, members of Pozoarik's family shouted at the defendant that he had not apologized yet. Waltziano whispered "sorry" quietly.
Waltziano was charged with killing Pozoarik in March 2008 while cleaning his weapon. "He opened the weapon's safety-catch and pressed the trigger without checking the muzzle or where the weapon was pointing," the prosecution claimed.
The decision to indict the soldier was made a year and a half after the tragic incident. The IDF initially believed that the accidental discharge was a result of an act of cleaning the weapon, however an investigation conducted by a high-ranking officer revealed the incident wasn't a clear case.
It was then decided to indict Waltziano for manslaughter which bears a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Shortly before the trial opened the defendant was arrested on suspicion of being involved in a robbery in the Sharon region.
