Officer who shot and killed Arara man to be tried for manslaughter

The state prosecution on Thursday decided to prosecute the Border Police officer who shot and killed a Wadi Ara man during a police chase earlier this year.

The officer who shot Nadim Milham, 28, will be tried on charges of manslaughter, the prosecution decided, upon the recommendation of the Police Investigation Department.

The officer fired at Milham as he was chasing after him in his hometown of Arara in January. The officer claimed he fired out of self-defense after Milham threatened one of his comrades with a loaded gun, but the Mussawa Center several months ago reported "evidence of Milham having been shot in the back twice."

The killing of Milham provoked riots and stone-throwing throughout Wadi Ara. When news of his death spread, dozens of his family members blocked the Wadi Ara road opposite the Iron police station.

The Milham family said they were happy to hear that the investigation was complete, adding "every visit by the investigators in the family's home reopened the wounds." The family also said they hope to finally have permission to see their son's autopsy report and the investigation materials.

Attorny Sami Milham, who is representing the family, said the family was "satisfied that the story is coming to an end and the truth is coming to light."

"It is becoming clear that what we have said since day one is true, that Nadim did not deal drugs or fire at the officers," he added. "The truth was not told at the beginning of the investigation, and now we are getting closer to the truth."

Defense attorney Avi Segal said he had not been informed of the prosecution's decision. "The media knows of such a meaningful decision before my client or I do," he said.

"My client will confront the indictment in court," Segal added. "He denies all the allegations attributed to him and claims to have acted in self-defense."

The incident occured on January 19 when detectives and Border Police officers arrived at the Milham family home to search for weapons.

Officers said at the time that "one of the detectives had noticed a suspect running with a gun and yelling. The detective began chasing the man. When the suspect reached a dead end, he turned around and aimed the gun at the officer."

At that point, the police said, officers opened fire on the suspect. The suspected officer said that he acted in self-defense, firing when he heard the sound of a gunshot from inside the house. He said he thought Milham was shooting at him.

Segal said last May that "Milham escaped from the house while pointing a gun at the policeman, and my client then shot him in self-defense."

Milham's relatives countered his claim, saying he had been "murdered in cold blood."

Nadim's brother Nabil, who was present during the shooting, claimed at the time that "Nadim was sleeping. They entered the house, kicked him in the leg. There was fighting inside, and he ran away."

"They shot him and he fell to the floor, at the entrance to the house," Nabil said. "They murdered him and he was unarmed. Then they started beating me, next to my dying brother."

	Nadim Milham's funural. (Itzik Ben-Malki / Haaretz)