Israeli officer charged in killing of autistic Palestinian

Israeli prosecutors charged a border police officer with reckless manslaughter in the deadly shooting of an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City last year

JERUSALEM -- Israeli prosecutors on Thursday charged a border police officer with reckless manslaughter in the deadly shooting of an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City last year. The indictment came just over a year after the shooting of Eyad Hallaq. Hallaq’s family had previously criticized Israeli authorities' investigation into Eyad's killing, and had called for much tougher charges. The officer, who remains unidentified in the indictment submitted to the Jerusalem District Court on Thursday, was charged with reckless manslaughter, and if convicted could face up to 12 years in prison. Hallaq, 32, was fatally shot just inside the Old City’s Lion’s Gate on May 30, 2020, as he was on his way to the special-needs institution that he attended. The officer's commander, who was also present during the incident, was not charged.