Sergeant Avi Gronov
Border Policeman suspected of shooting friend while playing with weapon
Soldier tells police investigators his weapon went off when he cocked it, while aiming at Sergeant Avi Gronov's face.
A Border Police soldier is suspected of shooting dead his teammate Sergeant Avi Gronov while playing with weapons, the Police Investigation Unit said Thursday morning.
Following the death of the combat soldier at a Border Police base in Yad Mordechai on Wednesday, his teammate was questioned and recounted the chain of events that led to the deadly accident.
Sergeant Avi Gronov
The Police Investigation Unit said the two fighters got into a conversation - apparently about playing with weapons - during which the suspect aimed his personal weapon at Gronov.
Later on, the suspected allegedly cocked his weapon and as a result of this, a bullet was fired and hit Gronov in the face.
The Police Investigation Unit said the suspect cooperated with investigators and was released on limited conditions. Meanwhile, the investigation is ongoing.
Gronov was critically wounded and was pronounced dead within minutes of being shot.
He will be laid to rest at 3:30pm Thursday in the Sderot cemetery. Gronov, 19, left behind his parents and two sisters.
Border Policemen serving at the base told Ynet that Gronov and the suspect are two good soldiers who knew each other.
Gronov's father, Aryeh, said: "Avi was the first born and loved by all. He always dreamed of serving in the Border Police and excelled in all that he did. He got his love for the Border Police from friends who enlisted there. He was my first born, the source of my pride."
