The man who now faces hate crime charges for firing duo who thought they were Palestinians, prosecutors say

Miami – Prosecutors announced Wednesday afternoon that they are now dealing with February 15 In Miami Beach as a hate crime.

Police said that Mordechai Brafman, 27, opened fire against a vehicle and hit two men along Pine Tree Drive, telling the detectives that “while driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both.”

The authorities said the two men were actually Israeli tourists and survived the encounter. Police initially arrested him for two positions of second degree murder attempt.

Officials of the Miami-Dade State Prosecutor’s Office said they have “reviewed the evidence in this case (and believe) that meets the legal requirements for the improvement of the penalty of hate crimes.”

It occurred after the groups, including the Council of American-Islamic Relations, requested charges of hate crimes in the case.

“The Sao Hate Crimes Unit reviews each criminal offense that has the potential to be motivated by hatred, to see if the Florida hate crime improvement statute is applicable to the specific situation,” said Sao spokesman Ed Griffith. “As a result of its review, the improvement of the penalty of hate crimes has appeared before the Criminal Court.”

Griffith said prosecutors are intended to present improved positions, raising the case to a serious first-degree crime, to a Miami-Dade judge on March 10, when Brafman is scheduled to be prosecuted.

Meanwhile, Brafman’s lawyer, during an appearance in the Court on Tuesday, said his client was incompetent to be judged and must be evaluated.

The Brafman defense team states that it was “experiencing a severe mental health emergency” at the time of the shooting and said that “it is believed that its ability to make solid judgments was significantly compromised.”

Until Wednesday, Brafman remained imprisoned without bail at the Turner Guilford Knight Center.