Two teens, one adult accused of fatally shooting Israeli man visiting Baltimore for wedding

Three teens face charges after police say they shot and killed an Israeli man who was visiting the U.S. for a wedding.

Baltimore police officers responded to a report of a shooting along Fords Lane shortly after midnight on May 3 and found 31-year-old Efraim Gordon with a gunshot wound. 

Gordon was transported to Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Homicide detectives identified three suspects and got arrest warrants after combing through video footage and physical evidence, according to Baltimore police.

Video surveillance reportedly shows three teenagers approach Gordon and one fatally shot him.

Baltimore police arrested a 17-year-old boy, a 16-year-old boy and 18-year-old William Clinton III, all of Baltimore, in connection to Gordon's murder. The juveniles' names were not released when Baltimore police announced the arrests last week.

Family and friends told WBALTV 11 Gordon was visiting from Israel to attend his cousin's wedding.

“To my knowledge, there’s no credible evidence of [antisemitic motivations],” Howard Libit, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council told JewishTimes.com.

“When you’re going to make accusations of things being a hate crime, you need to be careful.”

“Thanks to the diligent work of the Baltimore Police Department, suspects in the heinous murder of Ephraim Gordon are now in custody,” Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement.

“My heart continues to be with Ephraim’s family in Baltimore and abroad in Israel. No family should be forced to endure the insufferable pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. As this family continues to heal, I remain committed to working with Commissioner Harrison to build a safer Baltimore and finally put a halt to the long legacy of gun violence that plagues our city.”

All of the suspects were booked into jail and charged with first-degree murder. The teens are being held without bail.

“The arrest of the suspects in the brutal murder of Ephraim Gordon are a welcome next step in holding the perpetrators accountable and pursuing justice,” Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer said in a statement. 

“We are grateful for  the fantastic work done by the [Baltimore police] detectives and the cooperation of the community that made these arrests possible.  We continue to grieve with Ephraim’s family and it is our prayer that as we continue to work together, we can reduce crime and violence across Baltimore City.”