(JTA) — An 18-year-old Israeli Navy cadet was killed by police volunteers after he pointed a weapon at his girlfriend and fired at them.
The 18-year-old, identified by Maariv as Raz Attias, drove with his 17-year-old girlfriend to a wooded area near Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem on Friday, according to media reports.
Israel Channel 2 News reported that Attias had emailed the television station to let them know that he and his girlfriend would commit suicide. The station contacted police, which located Attias by monitoring his cell phone.
When two police volunteers found the two in a car, Attias pointed a gun at his girlfriend and threatened to shoot her. He then turned his gun on the officers, lightly injuring one. The second returned fire, according to media reports. Attias reportedly used a firearm he took without permission from his father, a major in the Israel Defense Forces.
A few weeks ago the couple learned that the girl was pregnant, according to Channel 2.
Attias was a cadet in the Israeli Navy’s academy, a boarding school, and was scheduled to begin active duty in the coming months.
