Low-ranking police officer kills another policeman in Garden City shooting

A low-ranking police officer shot and killed one policeman and injured another in a disagreement that broke out in Garden City in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to a statement by Egypt's Interior Ministry.

The low-ranking officer – identified as Radwan Mohamed from Sohag Governorate – drew and discharged several rounds from his automatic firearm, after Osama Khattab verbally abused him and threatened to deprive him of his monthly holidays. Mohamed was left in what the ministry describes as a “negative psychological state” following the incident.

Mohamed also wounded another officer, Sherif Mahmoud, who was nearby but not involved, and was rushed to a local hospital for treatment to a gunshot wound on his left foot.

Mohamed was on duty providing security to international embassies located in Garden City when the fight broke out. He was referred to the general prosecutor, and his weapon was confiscated.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi introduced amendments to the police authority law in August, imposing greater restrictions on the use of force and the time periods during which officers should be in possession of firearms. The amendments stipulate that officers must submit their weapons to storage facilities designated by their presiding officers at the conclusion of each shift, except in cases where a presiding officer or authority judges that it is necessary to maintain possession.

Despite attempts at reform, several fatal police shootings have occurred in recent months.

In February, a police officer shot and killed a driver in the Cairo suburb of Darb al-Ahmar.

In April, a police officer killed a tea vendor in New Cairo, after a dispute broke out over the price of a beverage. Two passersby were also injured in the incident.

And in August, a police officer fatally wounded a microbus driver in Cairo’s Maadi district, following a minor traffic accident.

However, police are rarely involved in the shooting of fellow officers.