Ori Mechtaiev, an 18-year-old Border Police officer, was killed in a shooting incident on Sunday at a home in Azor, central Israel.
After Mechtaiev sustained a gunshot to the head, Magen David Adom ambulance crews attempted to revive him, but ultimately had to pronounce him dead.
Police suspect the gunfire was accidental, occurring as the two were playing with their weapons. Two individuals involved in the incident, one an IDF soldier and the other a friend of the victim, have been detained for questioning. The military police are also participating in the investigation.
Mechtaiev, a resident of the local council of Azor, enlisted in the Border Police in November 2025 and served in the Combat Training Brigade.
He is survived by his parents and two brothers. His father, Ronen Mechtaiev, serves as Deputy Commissioner of Fire and Rescue Services.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir eulogized: “With deep sorrow and a broken heart, I received the news of the fall of Border Police fighter Ori Mechtaiev, of blessed memory, the son of my dear friend Ronen Mechtaiev, Deputy Commissioner of Fire and Rescue. Ori, only 18 at the time of his death, chose to serve the state like his father, on the front lines of security activity in the Border Police training brigade. There are no words that can comfort parents and siblings who have lost what is most precious to them prematurely.
“On my behalf and on behalf of the citizens of Israel, I extend heartfelt condolences to his father, the family, and friends. The Israel Police and the Border Police will continue to stand by you and will forever cherish Ori’s memory. May his memory be blessed," Ben-Gvir said.
Fire Commissioner Eyal Caspi stated, “The Mechtaiev family has been connected to the Fire and Rescue Service for many years. The family’s grandfather served as commander of the Bat Yam station, and two of the deputy commissioner’s brothers hold senior command positions in the Fire and Rescue Service. The Fire and Rescue family shares in the heavy grief of the dear family, embraces them, and will continue to accompany them always."
Last October, Yosef Chaim Rabuch, an IDF soldier who was on leave at the time, was killed by an accidental discharge in front of his fiancée in his Kiryat Arba home.
The Police Internal Investigations Department filed an indictment against a Border Police officer for reckless manslaughter in Rabuch's death. The indictment also includes ten additional charges, detailing a series of incidents in which he allegedly handled his weapon in a dangerous and criminally negligent manner.