BEIRUT — A sheikh fatally shot a member of the Amal Movement in a dispute over a parking spot in Sour, in southern Lebanon, a security source told our correspondent in the South.
The shooter fled following the incident, but the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces managed to locate him and he has been arrested.
The altercation over the parking spot happened between the victim, referred to by the initials A.F., and the sheikh, referred to as Sh. B. The argument escalated resulting in the sheikh fatally shooting A.F. The Amal Movement paid tribute to the victim in a statement and extended its condolences to his family.
Gun violence is a significant security issue in Lebanon, where there is a wide proliferation of firearms. Easy access to firearms in times of tension and anger greatly increases the likelihood of confrontations becoming deadly. Several gunfights have erupted in Akkar over the past few months between members of feuding families.
On April 25, two men were shot dead in two separate incidents in northern Lebanon. One was killed in Wadi Khaled in Halba, and the second was killed in Tripoli — both incidents were the result of a family dispute.
On March 20, the Lebanese Army arrested 31 people in northern Lebanon on suspicion of having committed crimes related to shooting, owning weapons, and causing security issues, following what the army called multiple "incidents" in the region.
On March 14, a man died in an armed confrontation and riot in Amara, in a dispute over the cutting down of a lemon tree.
Reporting contributed by Muntasser Abdallah