No charges against soldier who accidentally killed commander
Advocate general follows investigation committee recommendation not to prosecute sgt. who reacted instinctively and accidentally killed his officer during an operational training incident in Hebron.
Eight months after an incident in Hebron in which Lieutenant David Golovenchich was accidentally killed by a subordinate from the Golani Brigade, the Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek has decided not to press charges and close the case against the shooter.
The soldier, identified as Sgt. G, has since been placed in a non-combat position in his unit and he has been undergoing counseling ever since the incident. Charges will not be pressed against any of the commanding officers either.
An investigation committee formed after the incident found that the Golani force conducted two exercises that evening. During the first, soldiers were issued unarmed weapons, without the magazines, and with a safety device in the barrel.
During the second exercise, weapons were not emptied and no safety device was in use. Sgt. G was asked to rapidly respond to the operational scenario that had been practiced: a terrorist at the checkpoint. The officer played the attacking terrorist, and according to the findings, Sgt. G reacted instinctively, loaded his weapon and shot the platoon commander at close range.
The decision not to press charges was based on the fact that the drill was carried out under operational conditions, quickly and unexpectedly. In recent weeks, the committee’s conclusions were presented to the Golovenchich family, including the authorization by army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot.
Col. Ronen Tamim, the officer heading the committee investigating the incident, determined that the contact initiative is an operational norm that must be preserved and that it allows the junior commander, or recruit, to express himself.
The committee investigating the incident, headed by Col. Ronen Tamim, recommended implementing control and safety mechanisms to prevent recurrence of such cases.
Another finding concerns mission dossiers that explicitly define what can and should not be practiced during operational deployment in the current security sectors.
In response to the incident and the committee findings, head of Central Command Maj. Gen. Roni Numa commanded his units to take extra precautions in exercises involving “playing the enemy.” In addition, it was decided to place mobile training facilities in the regional divisions of the Central Command in order to enable more efficient and safe exercises.
The IDF spokesman said in response: “On February 6, 2018, IDF officials met with the family of Lieutenant David Golovenchich in order to present the findings of a Military Police investigation conducted following his death from a bullet during an exercise he conducted for soldiers at the Jilber checkpoint in Hebron.
“The Military Advocate General's Office found that there was no basis for taking legal action against the soldier. It should be noted that the soldier is no longer in combat duty. The full report of the Judge Advocate General's office was submitted to the family during the meeting."
The soldier’s family is considering appealing the decision to the attorney general.
