The trial of the non-commissioned police officer, who stands accused of intending to murder a tea vendor in New Cairo, has been postponed to September by the Cairo Criminal Court, the lawyer of the murdered man told Daily News Egypt following the session.
The decision to postpone the trial came after the prosecution provided judges with a record of ‘penalties’ committed by the officer. These records indicate that the defendant was convicted of committing several other violations throughout his service with the police force from 1999 to 2016.
According to the lawyer, the defendant was subjected to “459 administrative penalties and three military trials” following these violations though “the reasons behind aforementioned penalties or military trials remain unknown”.
The trial was postponed for the sake of providing enough time for judges and the defence team to review the documents provided by the prosecution, the lawyer 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 non-commissioned police officer was responsible for the shooting in Rehab.
Prosecution investigations into the incident revealed that the defendant was talking to the tea vendor in front of one of the Rehab entry gates in the New Cairo suburbs. A dispute between the two erupted into an altercation. Then the defendant ran towards the police car where his service weapon was kept and shot the victim, according to the lawyer.
Following widespread social media reports on the incident, the Interior Ministry confirmed that a non-commissioned 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 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.
The lawyer 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.
