New footage reveals harrowing minutes of Beersheba bank spree

Two days after troubled ex-cop Itamar Alon went on a shooting rampage at a Bank Hapoalim branch in Beersheba, killing four people and then himself, police released partial security camera footage showing how the events unfolded.

At 11:30 am on Monday, Alon is seen entering the branch wearing a hat and a checkered shirt, a black bag strapped across his chest. According to reports, he walked in minutes after trying to withdraw money from the branch’s ATM and discovering that his account had been blocked.

At 12:50 p.m., Alon can be seen speaking to a bank employee. It is unclear whether the person with whom he’s speaking was one of two bank employees killed in the shooting. Several minutes later, Alon pulled a handgun out of a black bag and began his shooting spree. According to police, that footage was unavailable.

At 12:59 p.m., Alon is seen pointing his gun and discharging it at a target on the floor. Police say that in all likelihood, Alon was “confirming” the death of a victim at his feet. Moments later, preliminary calls to police are made.

13:00 p.m.: Alon is seen walking in the bank. He stands at the entrance, gun in hand, and glances outside. Police have not yet arrived.

Two minutes later, two plainclothes police come running and peer into the bank, guns drawn. Bystanders outside the bank shout at them that there’s a terrorist inside and that he has shot at people. Three minutes have passed since the first call to police.

13:03 p.m.: One of the officers tries to enter the bank and comes under fire from Alon. Both officers take cover. Other police units, including the Special Patrol Unit, and the Beersheba police commander arrive at the scene.

At that point, they still don’t know if the shooter is a terrorist or a bank robber. Attempts to establish contact with Alon fail.

Several minutes later, the commander enters the bank, where he sees people on the floor with gunshot wounds, some in critical condition, some already dead.

At 13:12 p.m., police start to recover the bodies and take them outside. A sweep is done of the bank, with the knowledge that the shooter is hiding somewhere. Police do not yet know that Alon is holding a woman hostage in the bank’s bathroom.

A moment later, police hear cries for help from inside the bank. Police rescue a woman who has hidden under a desk, and she tells them there is no one else inside. Paramedics are treating the wounded outside.

Security footage then shows a wounded Bedouin man, Omar al-Walid, being escorted out from the bank in handcuffs under suspicion — it quickly proved to have been false — that he was one of two shooters.

13:18 pm: The police commander reenters the bank a it becomes clear that the shooter is holding someone hostage in the bathroom. The fourth and last body is recovered, and for the next 40 minutes, police await an anti-terror unit, a hostage negotiations team and other special forces.

14:02 pm: Attempts to make contact with Alon have failed. He takes his own life, a scene not captured by security cameras. His hostage, Miri Cohen, runs out of the bank to safety.