Eilat Shooting: William Hershkovitz, American Shooter, Killed After Dispute With Hotel Chef
The American shooter that killed a resort hotel chef in Eilat, Israel, was gunned down and killed after a shootout with Israeli police on Friday, Oct. 5.
The man who opened fire at the hotel, William Hershkovitz, 23, was from New York and was employed at the Leonardo Club Hotel until early last week. He was in the country on a Jewish work and study program.
His ongoing dispute with the hotel's chef is believed to be the reason why he opened fire on the victim, 33-year-old Armando al-Abed, an Arab Israeli from the northern Galilee.
When anti-terror police stormed the hotel after the shooting, Hershkovitz barricaded himself in the kitchen, according to The Huffington Post. Police failed to talk him down and get him to turn himself in, but Hershkovitz took a shot at police during the standoff and when they returned fire, Hershkovitz was hit and ultimately died.
Police spokesperson Luba Samri said that before killing al-Abed, the shooter shot mutiple fires in the Leonardo Club, after stealing the gun from a security guard.
Hershkovitz was working as a trainee sous-chef under al-Abed, until he had an arguement with his superior and was ultimately fired, according to The Associated Press.
The Southern Israeli resort town of Eilat, a vacation spot for many tourists and Israelis, is currently overwhelmed with people celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The city lies on the tip of Israel, by the borders of Egypt and Jordan, and its location has made it a common place for attacks by Sinai-based militants, the Press reported.
