Man convicted of murder with indifference for 2023 killing of Arab teen, sparking anger from family

The Nazareth District Court convicts Dennis Mokin of murder with indifference for shooting and killing an Arab Israeli teen during a roadside brawl over two years ago, in a verdict that sparks anger from the victim’s family.

The 2023 killing of 19-year-old Diar Umari, from the northern town of Sandala, caused an uproar in Arab society after the incident was caught on video by onlookers.

Mokin, who lives in neighboring Gan Ner, is seen in the footage scuffling with Umari in the middle of the highway and shooting him twice, before Umari runs back to his car.

Mokin then cocks his handgun while the young man’s back is turned and fires at him three times. Umari collapses to the ground next to his vehicle, and Mokin flees the scene without calling police or emergency services.

Two judges on a panel of three found Mokin guilty of murder with indifference, rather than with intent, because he fired the fatal shot while brawling with Umari as Umari tried to pry the weapon from his hands.

The three subsequent shots he took at Umari’s back all missed their mark. According to the indictment, Mokin opened fire until he ran out of bullets.

צעיר בן 19 נורה למוות בצפון אחרי קטטה בין נהגים | תיעוד@Eliashkenazi12 pic.twitter.com/sRa6yUnSlL

— וואלה (@WallaNews) May 6, 2023

The victim’s parents, Zuhur and Ahmad Umari, decry the verdict after it is handed down, insisting that the convict killed their son in “cold blood, intentionally.”

“You [the judges] have harmed the justice system, police and prosecution. Anyone can commit murder and in the end they will say it was done with indifference,” say the parents, according to Ynet.

The fight erupted after Mokin tried to overtake Umari on the road, prompting the younger man to slow down and pull over. Mokin fired twice in the air before pulling the Arab teen from his car, and the two began exchanging blows.

Mokin, who had recently finished a reserve stint in the army, had been driving under the influence of alcohol and on a suspended driver’s license. He had a permit for the handgun he used to kill Umari, but was forbidden from carrying the weapon while drunk.