Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Wednesday, following the shooting death of a Palestinian man in the morning by an Israeli settler security guard, officials said.
Israeli border guards deployed riot dispersal means, including rubber bullets, sound grenades and tear gas, against residents in the flashpoint neighborhood who were demonstrating against the killing of Samer Sarhan, 28, and the injury of three others earlier Wednesday morning.
Director of the Wad Hilwa Information Center Jawwad Siyam said an Israeli security guard opened fire at the four men, who were driving through the the neighborhood at 5 a.m., chasing them down an alley. One of the injured remains in critical condition, the director said.
There remain unconfirmed reports of a second fatal causality, he added.
Israel National Police spokeswoman Loba Samri told reporters at the scene that Sarhan was known for participating in protests and demonstrations, offering a different account of events leading up to his death.
Samri said the guard had crashed his car in the area after which the four began pelting him with stones near one of the local settlers' homes. The guard then opened fire, killing one, she said.
She added that Sarhan's body was transferred to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute and that the guard was detained for questioning.
Earlier, a Wad Hilwa Information Center official said Israeli forces at the scene prevented the transfer of Sarhan's body out of the area for two hours.
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