A Palestinian opened fire from a car in Jerusalem on Sunday and again as Israeli police chased him, killing an officer and a woman, officials said, as fears grew of a new spike in violence. The gunman, reportedly scheduled to begin a prison term the same day, was killed soon after carrying out the attack near police headquarters, close to the line dividing mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem from the city's mostly Jewish western sector.
Police said the dead included 29-year-old police officer Yosef Kirma, while Israeli media said the second person killed was 60-year-old Israeli woman Levana Melihi.
It was among the deadliest attacks in Jerusalem over the past year. Medics reported three people wounded by bullets in addition to the two killed, with another two were lightly hurt when their car was hit by the attacker's vehicle.
Police said the 39-year-old assailant fired in the direction of a tram station in the area, seriously wounding a woman.
He then continued at high speed and shot at a car, leaving another woman badly hurt, they added.
The attacker then headed toward the nearby neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, where a number of upscale hotels are located, and got out of his car, police said.
As officers approached him by motorcycle, he opened fire on them.
Police returned fire and killed him, but two officers were wounded, including the one who was killed, they said.