A tragic incident unfolded in Florida when a man allegedly shot and killed three tourists who were temporarily stranded at a rental property. The local sheriff described the event as “horrific and senseless.”
Authorities have arrested Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, a 29-year-old resident, in connection with the murders. The victims were staying next door to Bojeh’s residence in Kissimmee, as reported by Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon during a press briefing on Sunday.
“This was a cold-blooded, premeditated act with no prior issues or conflict,” Blackmon stated. “The attack was random, and it just so happened that the perpetrator lived next door to the victims.”
Deputies arrived at the scene around 12:13 p.m. on Saturday, responding to a shooting in a Kissimmee subdivision. Upon arrival, they found the bodies of three adult males outside the rental home, all of whom had suffered gunshot wounds.
Ahmad Jihad Bojeh now faces charges of three counts of premeditated murder and is being held in the Osceola County Jail.
According to Blackmon, the three victims had been staying at the rental property due to vehicle trouble. They had extended their stay by one day while waiting for repairs.
Two of the victims have been identified as Robert Luis Kraft, 69, of Holland, Michigan, and his brother Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Columbus, Ohio, the sheriff said. The third victim was identified as James Puchan, 68, a friend from Ohio, FOX35 Orlando reported.
Blackmon said the shooting was “cold-blooded” and random. (FOX35 Orlando WOFL )
Deputies found Bojeh inside his home next door about an hour later, the sheriff said. Bojeh was arrested on three counts of premeditated murder and one count of resisting arrest without violence, according to online jail records.
Bojeh lived at a home next door to the rental where the victims were murdered, authorities said. (FOX35 Orlando WOFL )
Blackmon described Bojeh as a “frequent flier to the sheriff’s office.”
“I can tell you he was a threat to that neighborhood all the time,” Blackmon said.
Bojeh was arrested in connection with a previous shooting incident in 2021, but was later “acquitted by reason of insanity,” according to court records obtained by WKMG-TV. (Osceola County Sheriff’s Office)
Bojeh was arrested in 2021 after being accused of shooting at a person and random cars in a Kissimmee gas station parking lot, though court records show he was later “acquitted by reason of insanity,” according to court records obtained by WKMG-TV.
Bojeh was booked into the Osceola County Jail for the alleged triple murder and was held without bond.
The sheriff said the murder investigation is ongoing.
