A Florida man allegedly shot three tourists dead after they became stranded at their rental property in a town popular with Walt Disney World Resort visitors, according to authorities.
Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, 29, was arrested for the “cold-blooded” murder of the three tourists staying next door to his home in Kissimmee on Saturday, Osceola County Sheriff Christopher Blackmon announced during a press conference.
Police responded to 911 calls about shots fired at the rental property in Indian Point Circle in the Indian Hills subdivision around 12:14 p.m. on Saturday, Blackmon said.
After arriving, a deputy gruesomely discovered the three men dead with gunshot wounds lying in the yard and called for backup, the sheriff told reporters.
Two of the victims have been identified as two brothers, Robert Lewis Kraft, 70, of Holland, Michigan, and Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Columbus, Ohio. The third victim is a 68-year-old unidentified male friend from Ohio, Blackmon said.
Authorities will release the identity of the 68-year-old pending the notification of his next of kin.
Just an hour after the deadly shooting, cops located Bojeh inside his home next door to the rental property and swiftly arrested him on three counts of first-degree murder, police said.
“It was cold-blooded, it was premeditated, there was absolutely no issues. There was no conflict between these people. This was just random. And this happened to be the person who lived next door,” Blackmon said.
Two firearms were discovered in Bojeh’s home after police executed a search warrant. Authorities are currently determining if they were used to kill the two brothers and their friend.
The trio of tourists was stranded at the rental property due to car trouble and was forced to extend their stay on Saturday. One other individual who was staying in the property with the group had already left the day before, the sheriff added.
It’s not immediately clear what the tourists were doing in the area or how long they had been staying at the property.
Blackmon described Bojeh as a troubled resident who was a “frequent flier to the sheriff’s office.”
Bojeh was previously arrested in 2021 after firing at a person and random vehicles in a Kissimmee gas station parking lot, injuring one man, according to court records obtained by ClickOrlando.
He was later acquitted of charges by reason of insanity, the outlet reported.
“I can tell you he was a threat to that neighborhood all the time,” Blackmon said.
“As of right now, we have nothing. Just looks like a random, but again, the investigation, you know, it’s ongoing. It’s fresh, it’s new. We’re just a little bit over 24 hours into it, so we’re trying to gather the facts,” Blackmon said of the investigation.
Kissimmee is a bustling neighborhood full of rental properties and golf courses, situated just a half-hour drive away from Disney World.
A judge ordered that the alleged crazed killer be held without bond at the Osceola County Jail, records indicate.
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