Angry mobs in el-Manzala city of al-Dakahlia governorate accused a police officer of shooting a man to death at a cafe on Tuesday.
A large number of the victim’s relatives gathered at Manazala General Hospital and smashed two police vehicles, blocked the traffic at the road next to the hospital, set fire to tires, broke into the reception of the hospital and broke the morgue door.
The prosecutor office in Manzala is investigating the incident, inspected the scene of the incident, and ordered the forensic medicine department to do an autopsy of the body to determine the cause of death.
Police received a report regarding the death of Mohamed Khattab, 34, after a first lieutenant from Manzala police station opened fire at a café during a patrol in el-Gouna neighborhood. Large numbers of the residents gathered and the police fled the scene.
Eyewitnesses said that when the officer passed by a cafe a man rushed out to escape the police and the officer fired several shots.
One of these shots hit Khattab, who was passing by the area, and a large number of citizens gathered around the body and smashed the police car, and tried to kill the officer who fled the scene.
However, sources in Dakahlia Security Directorate said that the victim was killed by mistake, and that the leadership of the Security Directorate moved to the location of the incident and tried to calm the crowd. They promised the citizens to investigate the incident saying they will look into the investigation of the Public Prosecution, and that victim’s rights won’t be lost.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
