Up to 200 Bedouin citizens rioted and threw rocks at police late this morning at Shoket Junction in the Negev, just a few kilometers northeast of Be'er Sheva. The stated reason: the accidental killing of a Bedouin man by Border Police.
The incident occurred when Border Guard police, looking to catch a wanted Arab from the PA, signaled a car to stop around 11:30 this morning. When the driver continued driving, the police opened fire, shooting a passenger in the neck - a 28-year-old father of three - who died on the way to hospital. In the ensuing rioting by Bedouin residents, a police officer was hit in the head and was taken to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.
A police helicopter in the air helped keep the situation under control, and the junction was finally opened to traffic three and a half hours after the incident began. The regional police chief - who visited the victim's family this afternoon - said that the proper procedure for arresting a suspect had been followed, but that a deeper investigation would be undertaken.