A 17-year-old who shot himself in the head after grabbing a pistol from the security guard at his Bnei Akiva high school in Netivot, died of critical injuries on Wednesday.

The 11th-grade student on Tuesday pounced on the guard from behind, twisting his arm behind his back and withdrew the gun from its holster, the guard explained.

During the struggle, the guard was lightly wounded in his shoulder. He attempted to subdue the youth, and chased after him until the youth got away.

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An eyewitness stated that the youth ran some 300 meters in the direction of Ben-Gurion Boulevard in the city, ducked into an alleyway, and shot himself in the head.

The school principal, Elul Ben-Tzion, described the youth as "talented" and "intelligent," and said he had no history of disciplinary or emotional problems.

The school has offered counseling to students traumatized by the incident. The Education Ministry has also decided to send counselors and psychologists to the school to help distressed students.