An off-duty IDF soldier was involved in a shooting incident on Highway 6 in northern Israel on Thursday night, the military confirmed.
The incident occurred following an argument between drivers and was criminal rather than nationalistic in nature, Israel Police clarified.
The civilian who was shot in the incident was a resident of Daliyat al-Carmel, a Druze town near Haifa.
During the incident, the off-duty soldier, who claims to have felt threatened, shot the civilian. The soldier alleges that the civilian was holding a knife. This led civilians near the incident to initially suspect that the incident was terrorist in nature, reports noted.
The civilian continued driving north, meeting up with Magen David Adom paramedics.
“A report was received regarding a shooting incident on Highway 6. Officers from the Menashe District arrived at the scene, and a preliminary examination indicates that the background to the incident is criminal,” an initial police statement said shortly after the incident occurred.
Magen David Adom tries to save civilian's life
“We connected with a private vehicle in which there was a man about 30 years old, unconscious, without a pulse and without breathing, with severe injuries to his body. We provided him with life-saving medical treatment that included prolonged resuscitation efforts and evacuated him to the hospital in critical condition while we fought for his life,” MDA paramedics and EMTs said.
The paramedics provided medical treatment before transferring him in critical condition to Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa. However, shortly after, doctors at the hospital pronounced him dead.
The IDF later stated that a preliminary examination indicated an IDF combat soldier on leave was involved in the incident. Following the shooting, a joint investigation was opened by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division and the Israel Police.
As a result, the shooting soldier was arrested.