American Jewish guy former employee of Leonardo Club Hotel in southern resort town of Eilat opens fire in lobby, killing Armando Abed, Arab Israeli who was employed at the hotel as a sous-chef.

The killer was later shot to death by the police, after shooting at them as well.


The gunman, who was fired from his job on Thursday, is believed to have arrived at the hotel to avenge his dismissal, according to the police.
The gunman was identified as William Hershkovitz, 24, a Jewish man from New York City, who arrived in Israel as part of the "Oranim" Israeli-American work exchange project. The police confirmed that the gunman was fired from his job on Thursday.


"This was a criminal act," said Acting Deputy Inspector General David Bitan of the South District Police. "The man was fired yesterday. He shot at cops and put everyone in danger, which is why the Counterterrorism Unit returned fire." Large police forces and emergency services arrived at the scene as soon as the incident was reported to the police emergency line.


Available details suggest that the shooter had an altercation with another hotel employee. A hotel security guard tried to intervene, at which point the man grabbed his weapon and opened fire.
The Police Counterterrorism Unit was given command of the situation and once it was made clear that the shooter had barricaded himself in the hotel, special forces stormed the premises. The shooter was killed during the operation.
Hotel guests were instructed to stay inside their rooms while the event was in progress, for their own safety.


The police stressed that the circumstances surrounding the incident are criminal. Eilat Police Spokesman Chief Inspector Lior Ben-Simon told Ynet that "Eilat's security forces are on high alert because of the holiday. The response time to the incident was quick."

Initial reports suggesting the shooter he had taken hostages were quickly proven false.


Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency, has ordered the formation of a commission of inquiry to investigate the shooter's admission into the Oranim program. Hershkovitz was dismissed after hotel staff complained about him, according to the project's organizers.

"He was a university graduate who was active in the Jewish community," a source in the program said. "The hotel management's complaints were of professional and disciplinary nature. The complaints weren't about criminal activity."


The Israel Way company, which manages the program, said that Hershkovitz fulfilled all the enrollment requirements, and his medical history deemed him fit to participate. He arrived in Israel on August 27 for a five-month stay, during which he was set to work at the hotel, take part in trips across the country and study Hebrew. He was part of an 80-member group.

As per the organizers' decision, Hershkovitz was supposed to return to the US on Tuesday, or alternately go live with relatives in Israel. His family refused to comment.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4288926,00.html



The victim can be seen on the photo of the loby (right corner), the killer can be seen on the photo to the right