Madi, 21, from the Druze village of Julis in northern Israel, leaves behind his parents, a sister and a brother. He had been serving in the SAMAG unit of the Border Police for a year and a half. His funeral will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
The officer who was arrested shared a room with Madi and is suspected of reckless homicide and disrupting the investigation. The officer told police that Madi shot himself with his gun, according to KAN news. According to Walla! news, one of the directions the investigation is looking at is that they were playing with the gun when it went off, but additional possibilities are being considered as well.
The officer's arrest has been extended for four days by the Haifa Magistrate's Court.After the incident, the commander of Border Police decided to halt training on Sunday for a few hours which will be dedicated to training, information and sharpening of directives. The training will be conducted for all Border Police units according to coronavirus regulations.
Madi's relatives do not believe that the incident was a suicide and the body was sent to the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, according to Walla!.
"This is a great tragedy, awful. There is heavy mourning in the village," said Wisam Nabwani, head of the local council of Julis, to Walla!. "It is something completely inconceivable and unpredictable. People in the locality just can not digest it. This was a boy full of joy and love who always helps everyone. A very accepted family that is all in the current and past security system, in the IDF, the police and the Border Police. On behalf of the council I express great sorrow, send my condolences and the council is accompanying and will accompany the family in everything possible."
Attorney Tami Ullman, who is representing the arrested officer with attorney Shadi Saruji, told Walla! that the officer "completely denies what is attributed to him. The deceased was his best friend and he had no intention or motive to harm him. This is a terrible mistake by the Department for the Investigation of Police investigators.