District Court Judge Gilat Shalev sentenced former Border Police officer Gilad Weissman to 9 months in prison for the killing of his friend, Avi Grunov.
Weissman and Grunov were in the midst of a conversation while Vizman was playing with Grunov's gun. The gun went off, and a bullet hit and killed Grunov.
Weissman admitted that he had accidentally shot Grunov, but said that he was unaware that the gun was loaded with a bullet. He signed a plea bargain to reduce his sentence.
Aryeh Grunov, the father of the slain soldier, testified that his son was an outstanding student who enlisted in the Border Police despite being eligible for non-combat positions. He said that his son and family were the real victims in this case, and not Weissman since he could return to his normal life after serving his prison sentence.
Weissman's attorney had sought to have his prison sentence fulfilled through community service so that he would not have to go to prison. However, the judge did not accept his request.
Justice Shalev said that while the probation service recommended that the sentence be reduced to reduced to community service in light of Weissman's need for therapy and treatment, as well as his cooperation with the prosecution, she said that the sanctity of life and the need to deter others from making the same fatal mistake overrode those considerations.
Weissman was also given a suspended sentence of a half year and ordered to pay the Grunov family 20,000 shekels (about $5,000).