A man was shot and killed early Sunday in an Arab town in northern Israel under unclear circumstances, with eyewitnesses claiming the shooter was an off-duty police officer.
Hebrew media said Omar Sawaed, in his 20s, was shot while in a vehicle in Kafr Yasif, and later thrown from the moving car. He was critically injured and pronounced dead.
There was no immediate comment from the police, who reportedly opened an investigation and sent reinforcements to the area.
One eyewitness quoted by the Ynet news site said that “people who were with Sawaed in the car threw him out after shooting him, and fled. People chased the car and were unable to find it.”
Another witness insisted it was clear the shooter was aiming for Sawaed’s upper body, adding: “He could have been shot in the lower body and not killed him.”
A relative of the victim said the family was “disturbed” by the news.
“What did he do to make a policeman behave like this? In Jewish areas, we don’t see behavior like that.”
