Police say Israeli shot and killed Palestinian man during attempted car theft in Hebron

Police say that an Israeli civilian shot and killed a Palestinian early this morning at the entrance to Hebron after the latter allegedly tried to steal his vehicle, during a violent confrontation in which the Israeli said he felt his life was in danger.

Earlier, Palestinian media outlets reported that Ahmad al-Atrash, a 35-year-old Palestinian, was shot dead by an Israeli in the West Bank city.

In a statement, police say that the vehicle had been involved in an earlier collision and two Israelis had gone back to retrieve the car when they saw it being loaded onto a tow truck.

Police say the Israeli men reported that they were physically assaulted by Palestinian suspects, and that when one of the civilians felt his life was in danger, he fired at one of the men, hitting him. The Palestinian man was declared dead on the scene.

The tow truck driver then forcibly dragged the second Israeli while attempting to flee the scene with the stolen vehicle, police say. The Israeli managed to escape but police say they are still searching for the second suspect.