The head of a major crime family was killed and another man seriously injured Monday in a suspected underworld hit near Tel Aviv.
Benny Shlomo, 42, head of the Shlomo crime family, and the second man, in his 40s, were taken to the Wolfson Medical Center as paramedics administered life-saving treatment and attempted to stabilize them.
Shlomo was pronounced dead by medical staff upon arrival at the hospital, according to first responders. The second man, who has yet to be identified, arrived at the hospital in an unstable condition with serious wounds following the shooting in broad daylight.
Shortly after 2 p.m., a pair of unknown suspects arrived at a gas station in Azor and opened fire on the two men standing nearby, police said in a statement.
An off-duty cop who was filling up his motorcycle at the scene when the shooting began pursued the gunmen as they drove away from the gas station, according to Hebrew media reports. As he pulled up beside them, the assailants rammed their car into his bike.
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The policeman, who wasn’t injured, shot at the culprits as they abandoned their vehicle and carjacked a woman on the other side of the road. They got away unharmed in the stolen vehicle, the reports said.
החיסול של בני שלמה???? pic.twitter.com/pJi0ffL6wX
— יאיר (@BynwLy) October 3, 2022
Benny Shlomo’s crime family are bitter rivals of Shalom Domrani’s criminal organization. This year, the sides have apparently stepped up attacks against each other. In May, police intercepted a Domrani hit squad that was reportedly on their way to kill a senior member of Shlomo’s gang.
Avi Bitton, known by police as a “moneyman” for Domrani’s gang, was killed in a car bombing in the southern city of Ashkelon in February.
Benny Shlomo himself has survived several assassination attempts over the years. His brother, Shalom Shlomo, was shot to death in 2015.
Domrani was released from prison last October after serving six years for two attempted murder convictions, and has since then allegedly been working to strengthen and financially rehabilitate his organization.
His exit from prison came after Shlomo was also released last August, having served time for assault.