Lawyer: Security guard 'didn't shoot to kill' Kafr Qassim resident
'It was a pogrom, the guard has no choice but to open fire,' says his lawyer, while deceased's father claims the late night protest in the Arab city were 'peaceful... there was no violence at all.'
The civilian security guard who shot dead 27-year-old Muhammad Taha during clashes in Kafr Qassim told police on Tuesday he didn't have a choice but to open fire, according to his lawyer.
"It was a pogrom," said the lawyer, Shachar Mendelman.
The guard gave his version of events to police on Tuesday morning and was then released to his home.
Mendelman was confident Taha's autopsy would show his client, a released IDF officer, did not intentionally shoot Taha in the head and did not shoot to kill.
"The guard acted according to the law, he fired a warning shot into the air first," Mendelman added.
"The guard was facing apparent danger. He was inside the flames," the lawyer continued. "They (the rioters) started to charge and there was no choice. The police accepted his version because if they hadn't, he wouldn't have been released."
The deceased's father, Mahmoud Taha, presented a different version of events. "My son was murdered. Lately the police's finger is very light on the trigger, and they shoot quickly, especially when it comes to an Arab," he said.
The father insisted his son "did not pose a danger at all. (Even) if he did, they should have shot him in the leg, not three times in the head. (The security guard) shot to kill, not to (defend himself)."
He further claimed the protest was "peaceful... We know the police, who keep describing violence, but there was no violence at all. The fabricate everything; make a joke out of it, cause drama. My son went to protest, like all of the other youth in the village. He has a right to protest. A quiet protest. But they shot him three bullets to the head."
Kafr Qassim mayor, Adel Badir, said that in light of the high tensions and until things calm down, Commissioner Roni Alsheikh promised not to send police forces into the city.
"It can't be that they haven't solved the murders of 15 victims over 13 years," Badir said of the crisis of trust between the residents and the Israel Police. "There isn't a single case in which an indictment has been filed, and the killers remain at large. How are we going to have trust in the police? Over the past six months, six people have been murdered here by crime organizations. Innocent people were murdered, while the police claims they know who the perpetrators are but don't have enough evidence. That's not enough for us. The residents want to see results."
He said the Kafr Qassim leadership from across the political spectrum met with the police on Sunday to talk about ways to resolve the crisis.
"We agreed the police would go after organized crime and criminals with full force. Instead, the day after making these agreements, (police) jumped the head of security of all people, who is one of the more esteemed people in Kafr Qassim," the mayor said.
Badir accused the Police Special Patrols Unit (Yasam) of "brutality," saying "I trust our young people to keep the peace more than the police. We asked them (to stop rioting) and within an hour Kafr Qassim calmed down completely."
Meanwhile, Yasam forces were stationed outside the local police station, checking drivers before allowing them to enter the complex.
