A man stands accused of attempted murder after shooting two individuals on a busy Miami Beach street. Mordechai Brafman, 27, allegedly fired upon two men he identified as "two Palestinians," resulting in their hospitalization. The incident was captured on surveillance footage in the 4800 block of Pine Tree Drive, reported NBC 6 South Florida.
The arrest report details Brafman's actions, describing a scene where his car was seen going southbound on Pine Road before making a U-turn at 48th Street, where the victims' vehicle was stationary. According to the authorities, Brafman drove past the victims, positioned his car in front of theirs, and began shooting as they attempted to drive away. “It was pretty intense. All the traffic was cleared; it was just police officers,” an area resident told WSVN 7News. Brafman is no stranger to the media; over a year ago, he appeared in a 7News interview following vandalism at a Miami Beach bagel shop displaying the Israeli flag, where he decried the act and expressed hope for unity.
During the attack, which transpired last Saturday night, the victims' car was hit 17 times, with one individual sustaining a gunshot wound to the left shoulder and the other suffering a graze wound to the forearm. Brafman reportedly drove to a residence on Pine Tree Drive following the shooting, where he was later apprehended by police. Although Brafman professed his actions to the detectives, declaring he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both, the victims survived the encounter and were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Prior to these charges, Brafman had publicly called for unity in the face of community strife. "It’s absolutely abhorrent," he had said in the past. The motivations behind this violent episode remain unclear; however, Brafman's own unsolicited confession to police in the interview room suggests an unprovoked attack, according to the arrest report cited by WSVN 7News. The identities of the victims have not been released so far, and Brafman is expected to appear in court to answer the charges against him.
