Kuznitz: Appeals went unanswered
Photo: GRT
Soldier indicted for shooting at his foot
Corporal caught trying to shoot himself in foot after repeatedly asking to see mental health officer
A soldier belonging to the IDF Engineering Corps attempted to shoot himself in the foot three times in order to be released from combat service, the army said Thursday.
However the soldier did not succeed in harming himself. On the first two tries he encountered weapon failure and on the third he succeeded only in rupturing his shoe, without causing damage to his foot.
In recent months Corporal A. asked his commanders numerous times for a meeting with the mental health officer, but was denied. His commanders were set to try him for a number of violations before he committed the attempts.
According to the IDF, A. took his M-16 rifle into his barracks, loaded it, pointed it at his right foot, and pulled the trigger. When no shot was fired A. tried again, unsuccessfully.
On his third try the soldier succeeded in firing a bullet, but it ruptured the edge of his shoe without doing damage to his foot.
The military prosecution proceeded to file an indictment against A., charging him with illegal use of a weapon. He was arrested and brought before the court for the remand of his arrest.
However the soldier's attorney claimed that he was not a danger to the public, as he had only attempted to injure himself. The court accepted his plea and released A. back to his unit.
Attorney Benny Kuznitz said the soldier had provided his commanders with many signals regarding his deteriorating mental health. "It is unfortunate that A.'s appeals to his commanders for mental support were not answered – something which led him to commit such an extreme act," he said.
