Southern District prosecutors on Thursday filed an indictment with the Beersheba District Court against Michael Cohen, 55, of Haifa, over the death of Gabriel Kamin, an 81-year-old gas station employee who was killed earlier this month near Moshav Nir Banim. Cohen is charged with causing death by recklessness, drunk driving, possession of a dangerous drug not for personal use after dozens of grams of cannabis were found in his truck, and also with assault and threats.
According to the indictment, Cohen arrived at the station about two weeks ago driving a truck, with THC metabolites found in his body. After he went into the convenience store and asked to pay for fuel, Kamin refused to open the pump, and a verbal argument escalated. Prosecutors say Cohen threatened Kamin, kicked the counter, and threw gum boxes at him. He then walked back to the truck, while Kamin followed and filmed him on a cellphone.
The indictment says Cohen got into the truck and drove toward Kamin, who was standing in front of the heavy vehicle. The truck’s front struck Kamin, but he kept walking alongside it and tried to contact Cohen through the driver’s window. Prosecutors allege Cohen continued driving to leave the station even though he knew Kamin was close to the truck and did not make sure he was clear of its path. Kamin was hit by the truck’s cargo-bed corner, thrown to the ground, and run over. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Cohen then stopped, tried to help, and called emergency services.
In the detention and license-suspension request, prosecutors said Cohen drove a heavy vehicle despite knowing Kamin was in his field of view, describing his conduct as showing disregard for safety and a lack of appreciation for the responsibility of driving. The family said the indictment is an important step but not an ending, stressing they seek truth, justice, and accountability, not revenge. They said, “We are not looking for revenge, but for justice and responsibility.”
Cohen has 65 traffic convictions. He was initially suspected of murder with indifference, but a judge in earlier remand hearings said the evidence seemed more consistent with negligent homicide. Prosecutors ultimately chose the more serious charge of causing death by recklessness. Kamin’s family said he was a beloved father and grandfather who kept working at the station in old age, and his son and daughter called the case a warning sign about road safety and violence. Police said officers from the Kiryat Malakhi station and the Lachish traffic accident unit gathered scene evidence, took witness statements, analyzed expert findings, and built the case before the indictment was filed.
