Officers shoot man who, with accomplice, pointed Uzi submachine gun at them; man died soon after he was evacuated by ambulance.
By BEN HARTMAN
Taibe police officers in patrol in the Triangle village of Tira shot and killed a man who pointed an Uzi submachine gun at them while they were trying to arrest him and an accomplice late on Saturday night.Sharon subdistrict police said that the two officers saw a pair of masked men walking around while they were on patrol, and gave pursuit on foot. As they were apprehending one of the men, the other turned and pointed the Uzi at police, officers said, forcing them to open fire. The man was evacuated in serious condition by an ambulance, and soon died.“The suspect holding the Uzi turned toward police and pointed the gun at them. The officer, who felt a real threat to his life, fired at the suspect and hit him,” Sharon subdistrict police said on Sunday.A forensic exam of the Uzi showed that there was a bullet in the chamber when the suspect, Nasser Abdel-Kader, pointed it at police, police said.The other suspect was brought to the Kfar Saba Magistrate’s Court on Sunday, where his remand was extended by 24 hours.Police are trying to determine why the masked men were walking around the city late at night armed with a submachine gun, and are examining the possibility that they were on their way to carry out a mob hit in the city, one of a number of Triangle community where such killings have been frequent in recent years.Police on Sunday secured a gag order banning the publication of the names of the officers involved, as well as their place of residence and any other information that could identify them, saying the measures were meant to protect their lives.