Military Police investigators on Wednesday arrested a combat soldier in the elite Duvdevan infantry unit who is believed to have accidentally fired the bullet that killed fellow soldier Sgt. Shahar Strug, 20, from Givatayim.
Military sources initially said Tuesday’s shooting was the result of the suspect, and possibly also the victim, playing with his gun, which accidentally went off.
Strug was rushed to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem, where doctors were forced to pronounce him dead.
The Military Police said its findings will be handed over to the Military Prosecution, where manslaughter charges may be leveled against the suspect, who has not been identified.
Illustrative image of Israeli soldiers take part in a training drill in Baf Lachish army base in Southern Israel, December 20, 2016. (Maor Kinsbursky/Flash90)
Strug’s funeral was taking place Wednesday afternoon at the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery in northern Tel Aviv.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan ordered an investigation.
Asked about the arrest of the suspect on Wednesday, the IDF said in a statement: “A Military Police investigation is underway into the incident. As part of that [investigation], the soldier whose gun fired the bullet was questioned. At the conclusion of the investigation, the Military Police will hand over its findings to the Military Prosecution.”
The soldier was expected to face a military judge later in the day for a hearing on whether to keep him in custody.
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
