A Palestinian killed by Israeli police this week was not attempting a car-ramming attack on officers as had been initially claimed, police said on Wednesday. A new amateur video of the deadly police shooting in east Jerusalem also raised questions about the police version of events. Police originally said they opened fire on Monday during a car-ramming attack targeting officers in the Shuafat refugee camp in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. One of the men in the car was killed and the driver was wounded, police said. There were no casualties among the officers. On Wednesday, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said they were now investigating the driver of the car, Ali Nimr, 20, for manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, driving without a license, driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless endangerment. The manslaughter investigation indicated police were holding Nimr responsible for the death of his cousin, Mustafa Nimr, 27, who was shot dead by police. An inquiry has also been opened by the Israeli justice ministry unit that probes police activity, Samri said. The amateur video, aired on Channel 10 TV, appeared to show police shooting after the vehicle had been stopped, suggesting it no longer posed a threat. The two men were returning to the camp after buying pizzas, a witness told Channel 10 on condition of anonymity. Haaretz newspaper reported that Mustafa Nimr's friend and his brother were following them in a second vehicle. It said Mustafa Nimr grew up in Shuafat but was living in the Tel Aviv area. Haaretz quoted witnesses as saying the car did not endanger police and they were racing at the time. The border police who opened fire had been in the camp for a separate raid, authorities said. Police carry out such raids regularly in search of weapons or wanted suspects. In June, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian teenager after apparently mistaking his group for stone-throwers as they returned from a swim, sparking outrage and debate about the security forces' use of firearms. Violence since October has killed 223 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, one Eritrean and a Sudanese. In the most high-profile case, an Israeli soldier is on trial on charges of manslaughter after he was filmed fatally shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron in March. The soldier, Sgt. Elor Azaria, has argued that the attacker still posed a threat at the time.
