Police shoot woman at Western Wall who fails to heed warnings to stop

35-year-old Jewish woman failed to heed warning shots; taken to hospital with light injuries.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD, JPOST.COM STAFF
Kotel (Western Wall) security cameras 311 (photo credit: Daniel Cohen)
Kotel (Western Wall) security cameras 311
(photo credit: Daniel Cohen)
A 35-year-old woman draped in blankets, who repeatedly refused to identify herself to Western Wall security guards as she continued walking toward a checkpoint, was shot in the leg on Wednesday night when she refused to stop after a warning shot was fired.
At approximately 8:30 p.m., security guards became suspicious of the unidentified Jewish woman as she approached them, and asked her to stop and identify herself, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
“She ignored their orders and continued walking toward them,” he said. “When she refused a second time to stop and identify herself, a warning shot was fired, and she still did not stop. At this point officers suspected a more serious incident, and shot her in the leg.”
The 35-year-old suspect was treated within minutes by Magen David Adom paramedics for a non-life-threatening wound, and was transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in light-to-moderate condition, he said.
The officer involved followed police protocol, Rosenfeld said.
“She behaved suspiciously, and according to procedure he fired a warning shot in the air, and because she did not stop it was necessary to open fire to stop her,” he said. “We are looking into the incident to try to determine why she was wearing blankets and refused to stop.”