Licensed guard's gun kills brother in accidental discharge

A 28-year-old man died overnight Motzei Shabbos at Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot after being critically wounded by gunfire in his Yavne home. Police say the leading theory is that he was struck by an accidental discharge from the weapon of his younger brother, a 21-year-old security guard who holds a licensed firearm for his work with a private security company. The incident has left the family and the local community in shock, Ynet reported.

The shooting occurred late at night in the family's home in Yavne. According to the police investigation, the younger brother accidentally discharged a single round from his personal handgun, which he holds legally as part of his security work. The weapon was in the home at the time. Initial findings suggest the discharge was unintentional, with no intent to harm. The round struck the older brother critically in his upper body.

Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the scene arrived quickly at the family home. The medical teams treated him on site, including resuscitation efforts, and evacuated him in an intensive-care ambulance to Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot. During the rapid evacuation, the teams continued resuscitation without pause. At the hospital, doctors and medical staff fought for his life for an extended period, but were forced to pronounce his death in the late-night hours.

MDA paramedic Shaked Iasu, who was among the first to reach the scene, described the difficult moments: "When we arrived, we saw the man unconscious, without a pulse and without breathing, with severe injuries to his body. The situation was critical from the first moment. We gave him advanced medical treatment that included intensive resuscitation, and evacuated him in an MDA intensive-care ambulance to the hospital in critical condition as we fought for his life. Throughout the journey we continued resuscitation efforts without stopping."

Officers from the Yavne station who were called to the scene immediately opened an investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy. Police investigators conducted a thorough search of the scene, collected evidence and heard testimony from family members and others who were present. The shooter, the 21-year-old brother, was arrested on the spot by officers and taken for in-depth questioning at the police station. During the investigation, he was questioned about the precise circumstances of the incident and how the discharge occurred. At the conclusion of the initial investigation, he is expected to be brought before a judge at the Rishon LeZion Magistrate's Court in a request to extend his detention for the continuation of the investigation.

Police said in a statement that "from an initial examination, this involves a weapon that was in the possession of a family member legally, and all the circumstances are now being examined." As part of the legal proceedings, the suspect is represented by attorney Dima Bernstein of the Public Defender's Office.

The tragic incident brings to the fore once again the dangers inherent in keeping a firearm in a home environment and the need for maximum caution among security personnel who carry licensed weapons during their off-hours inside their homes. Firearms-safety experts emphasize that even when a weapon is legal and licensed, strict safety rules must be observed, the weapon must be kept in a locked and secured location, and any handling of a weapon in a home environment must be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

In recent years, a number of similar cases have been recorded in which security guards or soldiers were injured or injured family members accidentally as a result of careless handling of a weapon at home. Each such case serves as a harsh reminder of the importance of adhering to safety rules and the dangers involved in keeping a firearm in a home environment.