Jordan: Man shot dead during celebratory gunfire following his release from prison

A man has been shot dead by a distant cousin in northern Jordan during celebratory gunfire the day he was released from prison.

Sari Salem Wardat, 46, was shot from behind in an apparent accident as he was walking towards family members and neighbours who had gathered to welcome him home.

The shooter was identified as the victim’s distant cousin Ahmad Salamah Wardat.

A video that circulated on social media shows Sari arriving home in a blue car surrounded by off-screen celebratory gunfire. Sari is immediately approached by Ahmad, who is holding a handgun and pointing it skywards.

The gun appears to jam twice before Ahmad fires seven shots into the air while Sari walks towards people gathered in the street. Ahmad then lowers the gun which appears to jam for a third time, before raising it once more and firing a shot at Sari, who immediately drops to the ground.

Sari had been serving an eight-month prison sentence for carrying an unlicensed weapon and resisting arrest but is also thought to be a drug dealer and a smuggler. He was released two weeks before the end of his sentence as part of government measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

READ: Mosques in Jordan, Palestine to remain closed during Ramadan

Under the orders, all public gatherings are banned, and citizens are subject to a strict lockdown and curfew. Draconian measures are set to be lifted in three southern governorates, following no new cases in the regions since March.

The incident, however, took place in the norther town of Amrawah, approximately 60 miles north of the capital, Amman. The town’s 9,000 residents are mostly from the same Wardat clan, but Sari’s death has nevertheless sparked fears of a potential “revenge killing” against the family of the shooter.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, Sari’s brother immediately forgave Ahmad and his family, speaking in the presence of the gathered friends and relatives. Families of both of the men later struck an “Atwa”’, a tribal peace agreement.

Local MP Jawdat Darabseh told Al Jazeera, that he had stepped in to formalise the agreement between the two family branches in order to prevent further disputes in the town.

The shooter, Ahmad is a member of Jordanian Armed Forces, who, according to his relatives, has had similar accidents when firing celebratory shots on other occasions.

The Jordanian police said the shooter has been detained and is likely to face a murder charge.