American who shot Eilat hotel employee committed suicide

William Herskovitz, 23, took his own life and was not killed by a counter-terrorism cop as was initially reported

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The American man who killed an Eilat hotel employee while in Israel on an internship program committed suicide, according to an investigation by Israeli police.

William Herskovitz, 23, shot himself after locking himself in the hotel kitchen, an investigation by the Southern District Israel Police has found, according to Israeli media reports.

It was reported at the time of the incident in early October that Herskovitz was shot by a member of the police counter-terrorism unit.

He reportedly used the firearm of a hotel security guard to kill 33-year-old Armando Abed in the dining room of the Leonardo Club Hotel in Eilat, a resort city in southern Israel.

Herskovitz had been enrolled in Oranim’s Eilat Hotel Experience, an internship program for American Jews interested in the hospitality industry. He had worked in several positions at the hotel and took a course in hotel management. Oranim is a tour provider that offers long- and short-term Israel programs to young adults.

According to Oranim, Herskovitz had lost his job a day earlier for lack of discipline.