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Three men who were waiting for assistance after car trouble were stalked from a distance before they were allegedly gunned down by a “frequent flyer” with the criminal justice system in Florida, the victims’ families said.
According to a joint statement from their families shared with Fox News Digital, the men had traveled to Central Florida to attend the Mecum Car Show, the world’s largest collector car auction, and were staying at an Airbnb. The families said that the suspect eyed the victims at a distance before they were shot and killed.
“There were no known interactions between the men and this individual prior to the event; they were then approached and senselessly murdered,” the family said. “This was a random, tragic act.”
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office responded to multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired at 12:14 p.m. Saturday in the Indian Point subdivision. When deputies arrived, they discovered three men dead in front of the residence, all suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.
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The victims were identified as Robert Luis Kraft, 70, of Holland, Michigan; his brother Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Columbus, Ohio; and James John Puchan, 69, also of Columbus.
The men, according to the family statement, were preparing to travel home on Saturday but were forced to extend their stay due to rental car trouble. The “random” shooting happened as they were standing outside the residence waiting for a replacement rental car to arrive.
The suspect was identified as 29-year-old Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, who lived next door to the rental property.
According to the sheriff’s department, authorities observed Bojeh flee to his residence shortly after the shooting, where he was later detained and found with two firearms. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Bojeh had multiple prior encounters with the criminal justice system before Saturday’s deadly shooting, including a 2021 case in which he was charged with attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and aggravated battery after allegedly shooting at a person and random vehicles in a Kissimmee gas station parking lot.
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Court records obtained by Fox News Digital show Bojeh was later found not guilty by reason of insanity in that case.
Additional records show Bojeh had prior arrests for felony drug possession and misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence, reflecting years of repeated contact with law enforcement.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier criticized the legal loopholes that allowed Bojeh’s prior release.
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“Across the country, we see violent criminals getting to walk free, back into society, because of insanity defenses,” Uthmeier told Fox News Digital.
Uthmeier is now calling on the Florida Legislature to narrow the insanity defense to ensure violent offenders stay confined in either prison or mental institutions.
“We won’t tolerate leftist prosecutors releasing murderers and violent criminals to hurt our families,” he said.
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Bojeh was denied bond during his first court appearance on Sunday. The investigation remains active as authorities work to confirm if the recovered weapons were used in the murders.
“There is no threat to the community, as a suspect of these horrific and senseless murders has been caught and arrested by Osceola County deputies,” Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon said.
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Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Read the full article here
