Last update - 00:00 31/10/2007
Police suspect shooting at T.A. club result of refused entry
By Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Police are investigating the possibility early Wednesday's shooting at a Tel Aviv nightclub, which left two dead and three wounded, was related to a dispute involving a man who was denied entry to the club.
A fight broke out after security guards refused to allow the man to enter, and police suspect that shooting, which was directed at the guards, was an act of revenge. One of the guards at the scene told Haaretz that three days ago there had been another large fight at the club.
"There was a very violent confrontation, and police arrived and separated the sides," he said.
One of the wounded individuals was in serious condition, and the other two were lightly hurt. One of those killed was the owner of a security firm, and his name has been withheld from publication because of a gag order on the details of the affair.
According to police, the assailant was wearing a black helmet. Witnesses said he approached the club on a motorcycle, and opened fired on a group of security guards that were standing near the entrance to the club. He fled the scene on his motorcycle, while continuing to fire.
A witness told Haaretz that, "We fell down to the ground. The security guards threw us aside in all directions. There was terrible anxiety. After a few minutes, Magen David Adom came and started to evacuate the wounded."
A large number of Tel Aviv police also arrived at the scene. The wounded were taken to Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv.
Police usually deploy large forces around the night clubs during the weekend. However, no police car was near the scene of the shooting attack. Three months ago, a drug dealer was murdered near the entrance to the club.
"A terrible and difficult event"
Tel Aviv Police Chief Ilan Franco arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting and called the shooting "a terrible and difficult event."
Four murders have taken place in Franco's district in the last four days, including the stabbing death of a Herzliya teen and the murder of an elderly Holon woman at the hands of her caretaker. Police were quick to point out that there does not appear to be any connection between the four incidents.
Franco vowed that in the wake of Wednesday's shooting police would reexamine their procedures for securing nightclubs, adding that police are aware of the large number of confrontations at nightclub entrances.
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