Suspect indicted for fatally shooting man he says was trying to steal his car

Footage shows 70-year-old Aryeh Schiff shooting multiple times at vehicle where the slain 36-year-old sat; he claims he didn’t intend to hit him during incident in Arad

CCTV footage shows the moment Aryeh Schiff opened fire towards a suspected burglar in Arad on November 29, 2020 (Screenshot: Walla)
CCTV footage shows the moment Aryeh Schiff opened fire towards a suspected burglar in Arad on November 29, 2020 (Screenshot: Walla)

A man from the southern city of Arad was indicted Thursday for shooting and killing an individual he said was trying to steal his car in November 2020. He was charge with reckless homicide by the Southern District Attorney’s Office. Simultaneously, the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court released footage of the incident.

The man, named as Aryeh Schiff, 70, told police he saw a suspicious person trying to break into his vehicle and fired shots toward him using a gun he had in his possession.

According to the Walla news site, Schiff said that he had not aimed his weapon at the suspected burglar and did not mean to harm him.

“I fired at the wheels. I did not intend to hit him,” Schiff reportedly told police investigators.

The forensic doctor determined that the suspected burglar was killed by a bullet that hit his head, according to Walla.

Footage from the incident appears to show Schiff firing directly at the suspect.

The video, from Schiff’s home’s security cameras, shows a pickup truck with a trailer parked behind it, in which Schiff and his wife were staying during home renovations at the time.

Just before midnight, a vehicle with three suspected thieves stopped near Schiff’s vehicle. One of them, Muhammad al-Atrash, managed to get into the pickup truck and sat in the driver’s seat. Moments later, Schiff is seen getting out of his trailer, approaching his vehicle, armed with a pistol, firing several times at the suspected burglar.

The indictment stated that Schiff was holding a licensed semiautomatic 9mm pistol. He called upon the suspected burglar to “stop,” but when the latter began to drive off, he opened fire. Schiff then called emergency services.

The 36-year-old al-Atrash was taken to Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center, where medical staff pronounced his death.

The slain man was said to be a member of the al-Atrash Bedouin clan, which said after the indictment was filed that Schiff should pay for his actions. “We are in a state of law, he needs to pay for it. A person who makes mistakes must pay for them,” the slain man’s brother said to Walla.

Police have yet to locate the other suspects who are suspected of attempting to steal Schiff’s car, and the investigation is ongoing.

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