A gunman from the U.S. was shot and killed by Israeli police after he opened fire inside a hotel, on the coast of Israel, that was filled with tourists. The gunman had shot and killed one person before police were able to kill him.
The incident took place in Eilat, a resort city overlooking the Red Sea. Apparently, the man had stolen a gun from one of the hotel security guards and used it to shot a worker at the hotel.
The worker who was killed was a 33-year old chef at the hotel. The American citizen was from New York and was said to be 23 years of age and at the time of the shooting was an employee at the hotel.
The gunman was in a program named Oranim, said a police spokesman. The program is setup to bring Jews into Israel to work and study. People who knew the gunman said he a normal guy and there was nothing that indicated he would do such a thing.
He arrived two months ago in Israel for the program and was combining the work with travel and Hebrew study, while taking a course in hotel management. The program and hotel on Tuesday, together with the man, decided to terminate his work at the hotel and he was to be reassigned to another job within the program.
No reason was given as to why his work at the hotel ended, but participants sometimes change workplaces based upon preferences.
One media report said there had been a conflict between another worker at the hotel and the shooter. There was a rumor of a money-related issue involving the shooter.
