Authorities on Monday morning report the two traffic policemen murdered in the Jordan Valley shooting attack on Sunday night were shot at close range, both hit in their heads with 9mm bullets.

A taxi driver who passed by saw a police car on the shoulder, realizing something was wrong. He reported what he saw and when authorities arrived, they found the two traffic policemen in their seats, guns in their holsters, the engine running, the driver’s foot on the gas pedal and the car in reverse.

They were still alive but when the first MDA EMS team arrived, one was pronounced dead and they realized there was nothing to do for the second.

Investigators found a 9mm shell in the vehicle, reporting the two were executed at point blank range with a handgun. They also found a tire iron and jack, leading authorities to believe the policemen walked into the terrorists’ trap, apparently stopping to assist a disabled motorist to change a tire.

According to Israel Police Shai (Shomron-Yehuda) District Commander Doron Yisraeli, the two policemen were veterans, well-experienced and extremely familiar with the area of the Jordan Valley they patrolled.

The last shooting attack occurred near Kochav HaShachar, in the Benjamin Regional Council area of Shomron, in which Moshe Avitan, 23, was seriously wounded. The last fatal shooting attack in Yosh occurred on April 25, 2008, when two security guards were murdered near Nitzanei-Shalom in the Tulkarem area.

Police are not reporting any progress regarding the identity of the terrorists, who may have fled to Shechem, Yericho, or even Jordan.

The identities of the policemen are not cleared for publication at this time.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)