Ethiopian protests
Ethiopian protestsCredit: Hillel Meir/TPS

Following an investigation of the incident last Saturday in which Solomon Tekah was shot to death, the Department for the Investigation of Police (DIP) is considering charging the policeman who shot Tekah with a disciplinary offense rather than a criminal offense, according to a Channel 13 News report.

If there is a criminal charge, it most likely will be a minor charge. Senior police officers said the policeman should have shot in the air - or not have used his weapon at all even at the cost of a physical confrontation.

On Thursday, Yair Nedshi, the shooter's lawyer, convened a press conference, in which he repeated the suspect's version - that the shooting was in self-defense.

"He was caught in a difficult incident in which his life and the lives of his family were in immediate and tangible danger, and as a last resort he was forced to use his weapon only to deter them," Nedshi said. "While he was spending time with his family, my client found himself in a life-threatening situation that required him to act as he did. If he wouldn't have acted like he did, my client might not have survived and his family would probably have been hurt."

A senior police officer said on Friday that pictures of the policeman and his children with calls to murder them were posted on social media and websites. "We're not indifferent to this and we have done many things in order to protect the officer and his family. His children, 7 months, 5, and 7 are currently at the highest threat level which exists in Israel."

The police said that the heavy protection of the family will continue for a long time and that they will not be able to return to their home in the near future.