An Israeli court has acquitted a police officer of reckless homicide in the shooting death of Iyad Halak, an unarmed autistic Palestinian man, in Jerusalem's Old City in May 2020. The Jerusalem district court ruled that the officer made an honest mistake, believing Halak was an armed terrorist posing a real danger, and noted the officer's remorse.
The incident began when Halak aroused suspicion near a border police position. Officers yelled at him to stop, and he ran away. During the chase, another officer shot at Halak's legs but missed. The defendant then shot Halak in the leg. After Halak stood up and pointed at a woman he knew, the officer fatally shot him in the chest.
Halak's family stated he had the mental age of an eight-year-old, and witnesses said he panicked when shouted at. The officer was charged in June 2021 after the justice ministry determined Halak posed no danger and that police rules for opening fire were violated.
The killing drew comparisons to police violence in the US, with the hashtag #PalestinianLivesMatter trending online. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called it a war crime, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a tragedy.
