Police say soldier fatally shot Israeli mistaken for Palestinian attacker

An Israeli soldier apparently mistook an Israeli civilian who opened fire on one of two Hamas gunmen shooting at people at Jerusalem bus stop for a third assailant and fatally wounded him, Israeli police said on Friday.

The attackers, Palestinians from East Jerusalem, killed three people during Thursday morning’s rush hour before being shot dead by two off-duty soldiers and the civilian, identified as Yuval Doron Castleman, who died overnight.

Israeli media said Castleman would have turned 38 on Friday.

A police statement said: “The findings of the investigation so far indicate that during the attack, one of the [Israeli army] soldiers identified and mistakenly suspected the late Yuval (Doron Castleman), who acted bravely and courageously to neutralize the terrorists, to be a third terrorist.

“The same soldier also fired at him which led to his serious injury and tragic death tonight,” the statement said.

Security camera footage obtained by Reuters shows a white car stopping beside the crowded bus stop. Two men then step out, guns drawn, and charge at the crowd as people scatter. Shortly afterwards the Palestinian attackers are themselves shot.

Video on social media shows Castleman firing his weapon into one of the attackers, then throwing away his gun, falling on his knees and raising his hands in the air as if to signal not to shoot.

“We share in the grief of the family members of the late Yuval who acted bravely and saved lives, and in the grief of other families murdered in the attack and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the police statement said.