Court releases to house arrest farmer charged with killing alleged thief

The Be'er Sheva District Court on Sunday released to house arrest the Negev farmer suspected of shooting to death one man and wounding another as they tried to break into his property two weeks ago.

Shair Dromi was released upon signature from three guarantors at NIS 15,000 bail. Deliberations in his case will resuke Thursday.

Defense attorney Benny Nahari said that in accordance with court approval Dromi would spend the house arrest at the house of a friend in the south.

According to the indictment, Dromi opened fire two week ago on two men who he said had come to his farm to rob him of his herd.

Dromi, 47, has been charged with manslaughter, deliberately causing injury and use and possession of a weapons without a license.

According to the charges, before dawn on January 13 Dromi noticed that his dog had collapsed and saw a pair of scissors near the fence to his estate. He went outside armed with a loaded gun, and when he noticed two figures inching toward the entrance to his farm, he opened fire. As the two men, Khaled al-Atrash and Ayoub al-Hawashleh, began to flee, Dromi advanced closer to them and continued to fire, allegedly killing al-Atrash and seriously wounding al-Hawashleh. According to al-Hawashleh, Dromi opened fire without instigation.

Al-Hawashleh suffered from three bullets to his back and al-Atrash absorbed two, one in his left knee and the other in the right side of his back.