Cashier’s dad shot dead by disgruntled customer’s grandfather

A 49-year-old man was shot dead in Haifa Tuesday night at a convenience store during an argument over selling cigarettes, according to police.

Khalil Mahroum, a lifeguard and sports teacher, was the father of a cashier at the store. After failing to resuscitate him, paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

A second man was shot in the legs by a security guard as he tried to flee the scene while carrying what appeared to be a gun.

The incident began when an 18-year-old man tried to buy cigarettes at a store, but the cashier refused to make the sale because he believed the man was underage, police suspect.

The two then began to argue, and the customer called his father and grandfather, while the cashier called his own father, Mahroum.

Subsequently, a physical altercation broke out, and Mahroum apparently attacked the 18-year-old, prompting the youth’s father and grandfather to go home and return with a fake gun and a real gun, respectively.

A municipal security guard arrived at the scene, but was unable to break up the fight and went back to his car to call for backup. While he was gone, he heard a gunshot. When he turned around, he saw one man on the ground and another, the father of the customer, running from the scene with what appeared to be a weapon.

The guard pulled out his gun and fired at the man’s legs as he was fleeing, hitting him. Police only discovered later that it was the grandfather who shot Mahroum, and the father was carrying a fake gun as he attempted to flee.