An Israeli national working as a locksmith in Memphis was shot and killed on Thursday in what police say was a robbery during a bogus service call.
Aviv Broek, 21, originally from Rehovot, Israel, had traveled to the U.S. for work and settled in Tennessee. According to police, Broek was called to change a car lock in the city’s south side. Upon arriving at the location and exiting his vehicle, he was robbed and shot four times in the stomach. Police said Broek did not resist and died on the spot.
21-year-old Aviv Broek was robbed and shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee
"On Thursday evening, around 10:30 p.m., Aviv received a call to change a lock," Ilai, Broek's friend and co-worker, told Ynet. "When he got out of the car in an isolated alley, he was robbed and shot four times in the stomach. According to the police, he did not resist or struggle, yet they shot and killed him."
Ilai said that a friend who worked with Aviv located him shortly after. "They reached him two hours after the shooting. They found him lying on the floor and immediately called the police," he said. "They used a location app on their phones, and that's how they found him. As soon as the app stopped working, we started to suspect something was up."
Preliminary findings indicate the suspect who lured Broek to the scene used a disposable phone and selected a remote location near a highway with no security cameras. Police have recovered the phone and recordings of the call between Broek and the suspect, but the shooter’s identity remains unknown.
"I am in contact with the investigator leading the investigation, but at the moment there are still no answers," said Ilai. "Not only was he robbed and murdered, but they also took his work equipment worth thousands of dollars, cash and even his passport."
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Broek's older brother Rotem told Ynet that "Aviv always wanted to go to the U.S., open a business and work there. He flew with a friend, initially to Los Angeles, where they worked for about three months, then they moved to Memphis, where they stayed for about six months. They planned to leave, but it was too late. I talked to him about two weeks ago, he was on the road a lot. He said that he was fine, that he was working and making money. He said that there is no antisemitism there, and we don't know if that is the background to the case, but in my opinion it is."
Rotem said the assailants took advantage of his brother’s generous nature. “He was a giving person, always ready to help others. When they called him, they claimed it was an urgent situation—that someone’s mother was stuck in a car—and offered to pay him double. They lured him into a trap, bringing him to an abandoned house,” Rotem said.
“Despite the late hour, Aviv went to help. He was a man of peace, someone who loved life and new experiences. He was brave and never afraid of anything. This tragedy shocked us. We thought it was safer there than in Israel. Aviv always told us he took care of himself and avoided dangerous places.”
In the wake of the incident, Broek’s family and friends launched a fundraising campaign to bring his body back to Israel for burial.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed it is aware of the case and stated that the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.