Investigators probing the death two weeks ago of a soldier in the elite Duvdevan counterterrorism unit who was accidentally shot by one of his comrades suspect this may not be an isolated incident of improper handling of guns in the unit.
The March 20 accident apparently occurred while Staff Sgt. Shahar Strug, 20, was in his room with a fellow soldier. The other soldier was playing with his service gun, which fired unintentionally. The bullet hit Strug in the chest. He was rushed to the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem with critical injuries and died soon afterward.
At a military court hearing on Wednesday, the military prosecution said there was additional evidence to suggest that soldiers in the unit played with weapons or misused them for unauthorized purposes.
"The investigation suggests that on the day of the fatal incident, the suspect [the soldier who accidentally shot his comrade] was about to leave for a training exercise, at which point Strug entered the room," the prosecution said.
"The two then drew their guns at each other but the suspect's personal handgun was loaded with a cartridge and had no safety rod. The suspect aimed the weapon to the center of Strug's body, cocked the gun, and pulled the trigger. This is when a bullet was fired from the suspect's weapon and hit Strug's upper body, which led to his death."
The prosecution said that given the circumstances, "we believe it is incumbent upon us to investigate additional cases that suggest illegal use of weapons by soldiers."
The prosecution said the findings were based on evidence gathered at the scene as well as testimonies from the suspect and from experts. The Institute for Forensic Medicine is expected to submit a report next week.
The suspect's defense attorneys said their client does not pose any danger to anyone and asked that he be released for the Passover holiday.
According to one of the attorneys, the suspect is "devastated because the dead soldier was his good friend."
