Four people were killed when at least one individual entered a bank in Beersheva Monday, opening fire in all directions. Two other people were seriously injured, and are fighting for their lives. The incident ended mid-afternoon Monday when one of the robbers killed himself.
A second suspect in the incident was injured and was taken into custody. It is not clear if he was working with the shooter.
After taking over the bank, the individuals held a woman hostage. She was removed after the shooter killed himself. Police said the incident ended at 2:20 PM.
Although police said initially that the incident was a bank robbery, sources in the police department said that the nature of the incident was still an open question. Sources quoted on Israel Radio said that the bank branch was a small one, and did not have a large amount of cash, making it a poor target for a robbery. Witnesses said that he did not demand money.
Police are not ruling out any possible motives in the case. However, police said they had confirmed that the shooter was Jewish, and that he was a resident of the neighborhood.