Repossession News
"Taking It Back"
Resident shot repo man, killed self
Contradicting police reports, Refael Radei's
wife said a police officer fatally shot her husband Tuesday afternoon.
Police maintain that Radei shot himself moments after he shot and
wounded a man who came to repossess goods from his Be'er Sheva
apartment.
Community residents accused police of having their "finger on the
trigger" when it comes to Ethiopian immigrants such as Radei, 49.
Early Tuesday afternoon, men from a repossession company, escorted by a
police officer, arrived at the Radei apartment with a court order
allowing them to repossess goods in lieu of the NIS 2,700 Radei owed to
the Pelephone cell phone company.
Police said when the men tried to remove a television from the living
room, Radei entered the room and shot one of them in the leg, wounding
him lightly to moderately. Radei then entered another room in the house,
where he shot himself in the chest, according to police. Radei died a
short time later.
But Refael Radei's wife Sara said the police officer, who was in the
living room, fired at her husband first. Then Radei shot the man from
the repossession company and the officer shot and killed Radei,
according to the family's version of the incident.
However, police said the three bullets they found in the apartment came
from Radei's gun, which he owned legally.
Radei worked as a security guard over the last year, after working in
the Prison Service for 14 years.
The police internal investigations unit is looking into the
incident.