Probe: Darkness played key role in rabbi's shooting death
Initial investigation finds IDF soldiers opened fire on Israeli vehicle after being notified of suspicious car heading their way
The Military Police has joined the investigation into Friday morning's incident in which an IDF soldier accidentally shot and killed Rabbi Dan Martzbach. A decision on whether to launch a criminal investigation against the soldier, who is scheduled to be released from the army in a few months, has not been reached as of yet.
Footage taken from security cameras installed at the IDF checkpoint where the incident occurred is expected to help authorities determine whether the soldier failed to act in accordance with IDF guidelines, according to which soldiers may open fire at the center of a vehicle only if it breaks through a checkpoint and the soldiers feel their lives are in danger.
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Martzbach, 55, apparently did not notice the soldiers ordering him to stop and approached the checkpoint at a high speed. The soldiers suspected that the vehicle was driven by a terrorist and opened fire, killing Martzbach and injuring three other people.
The shooting soldier remains hospitalized. He was wounded by a passing truck while making his way to Martzbach's vehicle.
According to the initial investigation, at approximately 5 am a soldier manning a checkpoint at the entrance to Beit Hagai identified a suspicious white Skoda near the West Bank settlement. He notified the operations room, which then also identified the vehicle as it turned east. The soldiers manning the checkpoint notified soldiers securing the Ha'ari junction that the vehicle was headed their way.
Using flashlights, the soldiers, who did not have time to set up a roadblock, signaled the driver of the vehicle to stop. The driver, Martzbach, drove fast and passed by the soldiers. The road was dark, making it difficult for the troops to see whether the car that had passed them was the suspicious Skoda. At this point the soldiers proceeded to fire eight bullets at the moving vehicle, which came to a halt at the side of the road after travelling for another 400 meters.
Additional IDF forces were alerted to the scene, only to find that the vehicle that had been hit was a silver-colored Peugeot, not a white Skoda.
The Ha'ari junction is considered the most sensitive in the south Mount Hebron area and has been the site of numerous terror attacks.
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