At least two people have been killed and at least eight more were injured in a shooting at a bar in Tel Aviv located at the Gordon and Dizengoff Street intersection, according to reports from Haaretz . One of the victims of the shooting was said to be on life support.
The attack took place Friday afternoon in Tel Aviv, located on Israel’s Mediterranean shore. USA Today confirms that two people have been killed in the Tel Aviv pub shooting .
Reports on Twitter suggest that the gunman fired “indiscriminately” and was reported to have appeared calm beforehand.
New footage of Tel Aviv shooter shows he fired indiscriminately. His apparently calm dallying over buying cashews beforehand is odd indeed.
— Dan Williams (@DanWilliams) January 1, 2016
“Security forces and emergency teams” reportedly rushed to the scene of the attack. Three of the injured victims are reported to be in “moderate” condition, while four are in more “serious” condition.
Recent reports suggest that a building on Reines Street has been surrounded by police, with some speculating that a suspect may be inside.
At least 2 are dead and 5 injured after a gunman opened fire in a bar in Tel Aviv https://t.co/uCaKNmtaJ5 pic.twitter.com/HuP4AjI3d9
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 1, 2016
Victims have been emergency transported to a number of different medical facilities, including the Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, and the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
There were said to be more shots heard about 20 minutes after the initial pub attack near the Mandarin Hotel in Tel Baruch, a Tel Aviv neighborhood. However, it remains unclear if the shots fired at the hotel are related to the shots fired earlier at the bar.
Authorities are reportedly still working to determine if the attack was perpetrated by criminals or a terrorist element. According to reports, police detained an individual near the site of the shooting after they appeared to be fleeing on foot. Police searches are said to be underway over a wide portion of Tel Aviv.
“We’re still at the beginning of the incident and I hope those responsible get caught,” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai was quoted.
The mayor reportedly asked that Tel Aviv citizens “enable” police and other authorities to conduct their searches.
The owner of the bar where the shooting took place, Dudi Malka, stated that a single gunman began firing at several establishments in the general vicinity. He described the attacker as a “short, fairly light-skinned man, holding an M16 gun.”
“We ran into the alleys, he continued to shoot at us,” Dudi Malka was quoted. “People who had guns in the area refused to shoot him.”
Police conducting searches for shooter in central Tel Aviv. Two killed. (photos by @dahliasc ) pic.twitter.com/a5JVdwO6fS
— +972 Magazine (@972mag) January 1, 2016
Another witness, Gordon Street resident Gali Morag, reported hearing shots being fired and looking out the window to see a man dressed in black and wearing a “woolen cap” running away down the street.
A paramedic who attended the scene of the shooting, Shani Mizrachi, spoke about what he saw.
“There was a huge crown [sic] when I got to the scene. Some of the wounded were inside the pub and others lying in the street. I immediately began to assist a man of about 35 who had bullet wounds in his upper body. He was in fully conscious. I gave him first aid and he was evacuated in a serious condition to the hospital.”
Tel aviv shooting scene. Gunman still at large pic.twitter.com/tuJFEFa5Yd
— joshmitnick (@joshmitnick) January 1, 2016
The Tel Aviv shooting attack is the first violence in the city since November when a Palestinian began stabbing people outside of a storefront that also served as a synagogue. Two Israelis were killed and one was injured in the incident, according to the New York Times . Shortly after the stabbing attack, the West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion was the scene of a deadly machine gun attack at the hands of a Palestinian man. Three citizens were killed and several more were said to have been wounded.
[Photo by Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images]