An African illegal was killed in an altercation with police in the Saudi city of Jeddah over the weekend, AFP reported.
A police spokesman said the incident took place Saturday as police were searching migrants suspected of being in the country illegally.
“When the police tried to arrest one of the Africans, the members of the group attacked them with a blunt object, which led them to open fire in order to take control (of the situation),” the spokesman said.
According to Saudi police, a bullet ricocheted and hit one migrant in the head, causing a fatal wound.
Saudi Police is cracking down on illegal migrants since the expiration in early November of a seven-month grace period in which they had been instructed asked to leave the country.
So far, two Saudis, a Sudanese and another foreigner have been killed in these clashes, according to official figures.
The Ethiopian embassy in Riyadh told AFP that three Ethiopians were killed in clashes.
More than 300,000 illegal migrants have been expelled since the start of the campaign, according to the Saudis.
Close to a million migrants from various countries in the region have already left voluntarily, while another four million were able to find employers to sponsor them.