Two Israelis Convicted of Attempted Murder for Shooting at Car with Children

Two residents of central Israel, Eliran Levi and Tzali Tancer, have been convicted of attempted murder by the Central District Court in Lod. The conviction stems from an incident in August 2022 where the two men pursued a man driving with his two young children after they left the Shefayim water park. As their vehicles traveled side-by-side, Levi fired 12 bullets at close range into the victim's car.

The court determined that the extensive gunfire and the targeting of the upper body indicated an intent to kill. The victim sustained serious injuries, and one of his children was also hit by shrapnel. During the attack, the children were terrified and screaming inside the vehicle as their bleeding father attempted to seek help. The car eventually veered off the road and crashed into a pole, with the children still inside.

According to the ruling, the motive for the attack was a financial dispute between Levi and the victim, who was the brother of Levi's ex-wife. After learning the victim was at the water park, Levi and Tancer located him, waited for him to leave, and then followed and attacked him.

Following the shooting, Levi and Tancer fled the scene and were later found to have attempted to destroy evidence. In addition to attempted murder, they were convicted of aggravated assault causing serious injury, illegal weapons possession, and obstruction of justice. However, they were acquitted of child abuse charges, with the court acknowledging the children's exposure to a dangerous event but finding the specific charge unproven to the required legal standard.

The court emphasized that firing at least 12 handgun rounds at close range towards a person's upper body creates a strong presumption of intent to kill, a presumption the defendants failed to refute.