Deadly Shooting at Tel Aviv Gay Center, Police Hunt for Gunman

Israeli police are hunting for a gunman who killed two people and wounded at least 10 at a gay community center in Tel Aviv Saturday night.

The masked shooter, who witnesses say was dressed in black, fired an automatic weapon at a group of teenage boys and girls attending a support group in the community center's basement.  The gunman escaped after killing a 26-year-old man and a teenage girl and wounding others.

A city-wide search, with roadblocks and other security measures, is under way as police hunt for the gunman.  Authorities in Tel Aviv say the shooting appears to be a criminal attack and not an act of terrorism. 

The head of Israel's youth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Association Yaniv Weisman said the gay community in Tel Aviv got a very strong message that the city is no longer a safe place.  

Tel Aviv's police chief stopped short of calling the shooting a hate crime.

While gay events and community centers in Jerusalem are often met with protest, Tel Aviv has a thriving gay community. 

In 2005, three participants in a gay pride parade in Israel were stabbed.  An ultra-orthodox Jewish man was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison.