An IDF soldier was killed Monday night in Kiryat Arba after being struck by an accidental discharge from his friend’s firearm.
The shooter, a Border Police conscript, was arrested overnight by the Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID), which will request an extension of his detention.
The IDF confirmed the victim’s death on Tuesday afternoon and said his family has been notified. A joint investigation has been launched by the Military Police’s investigative division and the PIID.
According to the initial findings, the two were close friends and had planned to go out together. While the Border Police officer was demonstrating his pistol, a bullet was accidentally fired, striking the soldier. Emergency services evacuated the victim to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Police said in a statement Tuesday morning that “the details of the incident have been transferred to the appropriate authorities for review, as is customary in such cases.”
Last June, a 17-year-old boy was killed by an accidental gun discharge at a home in Petah Tikva. A preliminary police investigation found that the weapon was legally owned by his sister, who serves in the military. The teen was pronounced dead at the city's Rabin Medical Center, several hours after being evacuated there by Magen David Adom paramedics.
Earlier that month, 14-year-old Uri Portal from Rishon Lezion was also killed by an accidental gun discharge in the city’s dunes. Portal had gone there with two friends, ages 13 and 16, one of whom brought his father’s licensed handgun. While the boys were shooting at bottles, the 13-year-old allegedly turned around at one point and accidentally fired a bullet that struck Portal in the chest, killing him instantly.