Mordechai Brafman, a 27-year-old Jewish man from Miami Beach, was arrested on Sunday and charged with two counts of attempted murder after opening fire on a car the previous day. Brafman allegedly believed the two people inside the vehicle were Palestinians.
However, authorities later confirmed that the victims were actually Jewish Israelis, Ari Rabey and his father, who were visiting the US. Initially, the victims thought they were the targets of an antisemitic attack.
The shooting took place on Saturday when Brafman, driving his truck, fired 17 shots at the vehicle with a semiautomatic handgun. Police reports indicated that there had been no prior interaction between Brafman and the victims, and the shooting was considered unprovoked.
Brafman reportedly told officers that he had seen “two Palestinians” and fired at them, claiming they were both killed. Fortunately, neither of the victims died from the attack. One man was struck in the left shoulder, while the other was grazed by a bullet.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for the charges against Brafman to be upgraded to a hate crime, which would lead to more severe penalties.
Brafman, who is married, has been identified as a plumber in reports.
