Suspect in Rishon Lezion double homicide killed by police

A suspect in a double murder in Rishon Lezion on Wednesday was killed on Saturday after a three-day manhunt by police.

Ian Gavrielov, suspected of shooting to death his ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Anastasia Rusanov, a mother of two, and 34-year-old Eliezer Kandinov, a father of three, was shot dead by police in Lod on Saturday after a car chase.

Gavrielov was under police surveillance while driving in Lod when he is said to have spotted the officers on his tail. According to the police, Gavrielov began driving wildly and presented a threat to other drivers and to pedestrians. After refusing calls to pull over, officers called for reinforcements amid a suspicion the suspect was armed.

After more calls for him to stop, police fired at Gavrielov, killing him. In a search of the car after the incident, police said they found a loaded gun in his possession which they believe to be the murder weapon.

There were conflicting reports in the Hebrew media on whether he pulled the gun on police before being shot.

Anastasia Rusanov (right), 29, a mother of two, and Eliezer Kandinov, 34, a father of three, were found shot to death at Rusanovs apartement in Rishon Lezion on May 25, 2016. (Courtesy)

Kandinov’s sister, Natalie Shalom, told Ynet on Saturday that the news of the suspect’s death came as a great relief to the family.

“I wouldn’t have wanted him to be killed in this way. He should have faced punishment. He was killed in an instant and my brother was taken from us for nothing because of him,” she said.

Police at the scene where Ian Gavrielov, a suspect in a double homicide in Rishon Lezion, was killed by police Saturday May 28, 2016 after a three-day manhunt. (Flash90)

Still, she added, “I am calmer now after not sleeping for a few days because we were scared he would hurt us [too].”

According to reports in the Hebrew press, Rusanov had in the past complained that Gavrielov had been violent, and continued to harass her after their breakup a few months earlier.

According to Channel 2 news, Rusanov went to police three months ago to complain that her ex-boyfriend had threatened her.

הנרצחים ברצח הכפול בראשל"צ: אנסטסיה רוסנוב ואליעזר קנדינובhttps://t.co/zVR1CH54bh pic.twitter.com/1bpbsCstAu

— מעריב אונליין (@MaarivOnline) May 25, 2016

The victims, who were apparently dating, were found in Rusanov’s apartment on Pika Street in Rishon Lezion, a city of some 200,000 south of Tel Aviv, by Rusanov’s mother.

Rusanov was found with gunshot wounds all over her body while Kandinov was found shot in the head.