Eilat Shooting: American Shooter Killed After Opening Fire On Chef

An American man was killed in a shootout with police in Eilat after he shot a chef at a popular resort hotel. The man, who opened fire at the hotel, William Hershkovitz, was from New York.

Hershkovitz, 23, is believed to have shot the chef at the popular hotel in Eliat because of an ongoing dispute, reports The Daily Mail.

The victim is 33-year-old Armando Abed from West Galilee, who was employed at the hotel. Anti-terror police stormed the hotel after the shooting, forcing the gunman to barricade himself in the kitchen.

Hershkovitz took a shot at police during the standoff, forcing them to return fire. He was killed in the process. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfield said the man fired multiple shots at the Leonardo Club Hotel in Eilat, a popular Red Sea resort town, after he stole a firearm from a security guard.

Aviram Sela, who was an Israeli guest at the hotel, stated that he attempted to wrestle the gunman to the ground before he started shooting while terrified tourists dove for cover behind a sofa in the hotel lobby. Sela recalled:

“We saw him beating the guard and grab his weapon and the magazine.”

The gunman then took aim at a member of Sela’s family. Hershkovitz was in Israel on a Jewish work and study program. He was employed at the hotel in Eilat until earlier this week.

The Associated Free Press notes that Police stated Hershkovitz was working as a trainee sous-chef at the hotel until he was dismissed. Police spokeswoman Luba Samri stated:

“The man was a trainee sous-chef in the kitchen who had an argument with the person in charge of him after being fired. He grabbed a gun from a security guard and used it against the person who had been supervising him, killing him.”

Samri went on to say that two other tourists were taken to the hospital after suffering from shock. Eilat is no stranger to shootings and violence since it has been a target for attacks by Sinai-based militants. Two blasts hit the city in August and April, causing slight damage but no casualties.