Yaqoub Abu al-Qiyan
Police opened fire on Umm al-Hiran driver before he started driving, video shows
New video aired on Channel 10 shows that Yaqoub Abu al-Qiyan, the driver who ran over and killed Sgt. Erez Levi during a violent protest against home demolitions in the Bedouin village, only started speeding into the group of officers after they opened fire on him.
Meir Turgeman|Published: 02.12.17 , 14:11
New footage aired shows that Yaqoub Abu al-Qiyan, who ran over and killed Sgt. Erez Levi during protest against home demolitions in Umm al-Hiran, started speeding towards the group of polie officers only after they opened fire at him, giving further credit to the claim he did not intend to carry out a terror attack.
The video, broadcast on Channel 10 on Saturday, shows al-Qiyan slowly approaching the officers with his vehicle. The officers are then seen opening fire on him, following which the vehicle started speeding towards them, hitting Sgt. Levi and killing him.
The footage was given to the Police Investigation Unit (PIU) for inspection as part of the investigation into the January 18 incident.
The driver, Yaqoub Abu al-Qiyan
An autopsy performed on al-Qiyan at the Institute of Forensic Medicine found that he suffered a bullet wound in his knee, causing him to step on the gas pedal. According to some assessments, this bullet to his leg may have been what caused him to accelerate.
The policeman, Sgt. Erez Levi
Another detail that the autopsy report revealed is that a gunshot to al-Qiyan's chest caused massive bleeding that lasted for 20 to 30 minutes. By the time Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics were permitted to provide him with medical treatment, all they could do was declare the man dead. It is possible that al-Qiyan would have survived had medical teams been permitted to treat him sooner.
PIU are currently investigating the footage, the report and any ties al-Qiyan could have had to Muslim extremists that could have lead him to perform this act.