Benny Shlomo, the head of a major crime family, was shot and killed in broad daylight at a gas station in central Israel on Monday in a suspected underworld hit.
Another person who was with Shlomo at the time was seriously wounded. Police have dispatched large forces in pursuit of the two gunmen who opened fire at Shlomo before fleeing the scene.
Surveillance camera footage of the shooting
According to the police, the assailants exited their vehicle at the gas station in Azor near Tel Aviv before approaching the two men and opening fire at them from close range. Magen David Adom medics who arrived at the scene transferred the two to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced Shlomo’s death.
"Obviously there will be a retaliation to this hit, it’s only a question of where and when," a senior police official told Ynet.
According to the police, an off-duty cop who was filling up his motorcycle at the gas station witnessed the attack, called in the incident, and gave chase after the suspects’ vehicle on his bike.
The officer managed to close in on the getaway car, but the driver rammed into his bike, knocking him off. The policeman suffered no injuries.
The suspects abandoned the vehicle and began fleeing on foot before carjacking a woman on the other side of the road. The officer opened fire at the suspects but they got away unharmed in the stolen vehicle.
Benny Shlomo's crime organization has been locked in a bloody rivalry with another well-known crime family for years. Shlomo himself has survived several attempts on his life over the years. His brother Shalom Shlomo was assassinated in 2015.