Teens Charged with Negligent Homicide After 14-Year-Old Dies

A 14-year-old boy, Uri Portal, was fatally shot in an accidental incident during an improvised shooting game in the dunes of Rishon LeZion in early June 2025. Today, July 30, 2025, at 12:16 PM IDT, the Central District Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against two minors, aged 14 and 17, charging them with negligent homicide, carrying a weapon and ammunition, and firing a firearm. The case, detailed in a tragic sequence of events, has left Uri's family and community in profound grief.

According to the indictment, filed by attorney Omer Segal Rosenbaum, the 17-year-old defendant, an 11th-grade student from Rishon LeZion, took a key to his parents' safe without permission, removed a loaded gun and magazine, and brought the weapon to school. He then handed the gun to several friends, including Uri Portal and another 14-year-old 8th-grade student, who pocketed a single bullet. Later, the group went to a sandy area near the Yes Planet complex to attempt shooting. The 17-year-old demonstrated how to fire the weapon to the 14-year-old, who then shot once at targets. Uri approached to hold the gun, but the 14-year-old accidentally turned and fired, hitting Uri directly in the chest at close range.

Uri collapsed, and the two defendants tried to perform CPR. The older defendant reported the injury to the MDA emergency center, but despite medical efforts, Uri was pronounced dead at Wolfson Hospital after being evacuated in critical condition. His father, upon identifying his body, collapsed in the hospital corridors, crying out, "Why, God, why? What did I do? Why?" Uri's mother, on a flight to China at the time, was informed of a severe bicycle accident to urge her return, only learning the truth upon landing in Israel.

The prosecution has requested the court to extend restrictive conditions on the defendants, including full house arrest and a travel ban. Uri's mother, Maayan Portal, expressed her grief and hope for justice, stating, "My son paid with his life at only 14.5 years old, and we as a family are paying the heaviest price imaginable. I aim to immortalize Uri and prevent future tragedies."