The prosecution accused the low-ranking police officer, who is on trial for the murder of a tea vendor, of the “deliberate murder” of an Egyptian citizen and an “attempt to kill two other citizens”, during the first trial session at Fifth Settlement Criminal Court in New Cairo, the murdered vendor’s lawyer told Daily News Egypt on Saturday.
“I asked the Interior Ministry to pay EGP 10m in compensation, EGP 5m for the vendor’s family, and the rest for a ministry-run training project to improve officers’ treatment of civilians,” said the lawyer of the killed vendor, Yasser Said.
The Fifth Settlement Criminal Court decided to postpone the trial to 6 June. A session has been scheduled for Saturday to hear eyewitness testimonies, according to Said.
The incident dates back to 19 April when photos of three people lying on the ground, one of them dead, were circulated on social media. Social media users claimed that a low-ranking police officer was responsible for the shooting in Rehab.
Following widespread social media reports, the Interior Ministry confirmed that a low-ranking police officer killed a man and injured two others in New Cairo, after a quarrel erupted over the price of a drink.
“The shooting took place in the presence of police officer El-Sayed Zeinhom in the front of Gate 6 of Rehab City in New Cairo. A dispute erupted between him and a tea vendor over the price of a drink,” the ministry statement read.
“The dispute escalated and the officer opened fire which resulted in him killing the vendor and injuring two bystanders,” the statement continued.
Said previously told Daily News Egypt that the prosecution claimed the vendor was a drug addict, after informing him that hashish was found on his person.
The lawyer said his client was not a tea vendor but actually a flower vendor and the quarrel erupted over paying royalties to the officer.
