The circumstances behind a shooting outside of a synagogue in Miami-Dade County, Florida remain under investigation, and police are trying to determine if was a hate crime.
The shooting happened Sunday outside the Young Israel of Greater Miami, according to Local 10. The 58-year-old victim was outside the synagogue for scheduled prayers when a shooter fired multiple rounds, cops said. The suspect had been driving a black Chevy impala, authorities said.
“It circled once again, and by that time the victim was approaching the door,” MDPD Detective Alvaro Zabaleta told WSVN. “That’s when the driver of the Impala exits the vehicle and opens fire towards the victim, striking him multiple times in the lower extremities.”
Because this happened by a synagogue, there was immediate concern that this could be a hate crime, but that remains unclear as police have no supplied an alleged motive or the identity of a suspect. Nonetheless, the event evoked bitter memories of recent alleged anti-Semitic shootings at synagogues in Poway, California and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The 58-year-old man was reportedly hospitalized after being shot in his leg. He sustained multiple wounds, but underwent surgery and was determined to be in stable condition.
[Screengrab via Local 10]