Israel: Palestinian shooter in Jerusalem kills 2, wounds 5

JERUSALEM – A Palestinian militant carried out a drive-by shooting near the national headquarters of the Israeli police in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing two people and wounding five others before being shot dead following a frenzied chase through the streets of the holy city, Israeli police and emergency services said.

The attack, carried out in broad daylight by a member of the Hamas militant group with a long police record, was one of the bloodiest during a yearlong spate of Palestinian assaults.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the attacker sped toward a busy stop of the city’s light rail and opened fire, hitting a 60-year-old woman. He continued driving and shot another woman who was seated in her car before speeding off toward an Arab neighborhood in east Jerusalem.

Samri said police officers on motorcycles chased the assailant, who eventually stepped out of his vehicle and opened fire at them. A separate police force ultimately shot and killed the attacker, Samri said.

The Israeli national rescue service, Mada, said two people were killed. Police identified one of the dead as a 29-year-old officer, Yosef Kirma. The 60-year-old woman, identified as Levanah Malichi, also died.

Police said the shooter was a 39-year-old man from the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. They did not release his name.