Florida man indicted for shooting Israelis he believed were Palestinians
Mordechai Brafman, 27, opened fire at a car carrying Israeli tourists, a father and son, in Miami Beach • His lawyer argues that he was 'experiencing a severe mental crisis' at the time
Mordechai Barfman, a 27-year-old Florida resident, was charged Tuesday with two counts of attempted second-degree murder, after opening fire on two Israeli men in Miami Beach due to mistakenly thinking they were Palestinians last weekend.
According to the arrest report, Brafman fired 17 times at the two in an event that occurred "without provocation." During the investigation, he told the officers that while he was driving his truck, he spotted "two Palestinians," shot at their vehicle, and thought he had killed them. The two Israelis – a father and son visiting southern Florida – were wounded but survived the event. One of them was hit by a bullet in his shoulder and the other was slightly hurt.
Brafman is imprisoned in a local Miami jail with no possibility of release on bail.
Brafman's lawyer, Dustin Tischler, reported that his client experienced a "severe emotional crisis" during the shooting, which caused him "to fear for his life" and act as he did.