Police question security guard who shot deaf Palestinian at checkpoint

A civilian security guard who shot a deaf Palestinian man in the leg Monday morning after he entered a restricted area of the Qalandiya checkpoint outside Jerusalem was being questioned as part of a police investigation into the incident, police said.

He was later released to a five day house arrest.

The Palestinian man, who is in his 60s and has hearing and speech difficulties, walked into an area of the crossing reserved for automobiles, raising the guard’s suspicions, according to police. The guard called for the man to exit, but due to his disability the man apparently did not hear the command. The guard then opened fire at the man, hitting him in the leg.

Afterward, the Border Police determined that the man did not heed the guard’s commands because of his hearing and speech problems, a law enforcement spokesperson said.

“The security guard has been detained for interrogation, and the police have opened an investigation into the event,” police said.

The Palestinian man was taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment.

המאבטח שירה בפלסטיני הבוקר במעבר קלנדיה ופצע אותו קל עוכב לחקירה. pic.twitter.com/D32VAKhQuL

— Suleiman Maswadeh סולימאן מסוודה (@SuleimanMas1) August 17, 2020